Indebted
by LookOutShe'sGotAPen
Summary: When Naruto saves the life of a young girl, she reveals she is from a clan where if a life is saved, a life is owed, and promises herself to Naruto for life. Little did he know she would turn his world upside down. Naruto/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

Well, it's about time, is all I can say.

I don't know of very many ff writers on here who haven't taken a shot at Naruto yet- guess it's time for me to continue the tradition ^^

Of course it's a Naruto/OC- I like happy people, why does no one ever find love for the happy people?!

I'm a total Narutard, but mainly for Shippuden though, and since this takes place back when everyone is still twelve, I may get a few insignificant facts wrong- please don't dwell on these flaws, they will be corrected (especially by my good pal Sibi-chan lol she knows more about Naruto then anyone I know)

So anyway, enjoy the story! And don't forget to review!

LOSGAP =D

Cold sunlight filtered through the leaves, spilling onto the forest floor; its muted golden light gently touched leaves, grass and the face of a young girl asleep under the trees.

Her face was framed by thick black hair coming to her chin, and was cut raggedly, as though she had done it herself.

She was skinny; her clothes hung off of her frail frame loosely, as though they were far too big for her. She couldn't have been older then twelve.

She did not stir as snow began to fall, drifting to the ground in large flakes and quietly coating the ground with frost. She didn't twitch or make an effort to wipe her face as snow landed on her cheeks and eyes, lightly dusting her face white.

Something crunched over the snow as the sun started its slow descent; something big, but light. The footsteps were muffled by snow as they steadily approached, unaware of the sleeping girl.

"…stupid Sasuke…" A young boy was muttering to himself. He crossed his arms, scowling at the ground, wanting to kick something. He shook his startlingly blonde head, frowning ahead.

He continued walking; his orange jumpsuit making him quite plain to anyone who would be on that path; but the only other soul nearby was asleep, unaware of his presence.

He tripped over her then; at first, he thought she was merely a snow covered log, but when he tripped and fell into the snow he looked back to see a frozen face.

His jaw dropped, shocked as he stared at her. For a moment he didn't know what to do; call for help? Run back to the village?

He shook his head; she was frozen solid by now, he had to get her someplace warm, and fast. He bent down and gently lifted her up, scooping his hands behind her knees, holding her on his back. Her cold arms hung limp over his chest; he shivered as her head fell against the back of his neck; she was so cold.

Barely conscious, she immediately responded to his warmth, curling herself around him and burrowing herself into him, seeking his heat. It made it quite difficult to run, though he pushed himself onwards. She was a tiny little thing, and really wasn't that much trouble.

He ran swiftly across the forest floor, his feet making little sound as he blew across the ground, careful not to jostle her too much.

OOO

"Got a bad case of hypothermia, sleeping in the cold like that." A woman said, putting her hands on her hips and frowning down at the sleeping girl on the bed before her. "She's lucky to have her limbs." She snorted.

"Is she going to be ok though?" Naruto Uzumaki demanded.

"She'll live, if that's what you mean." Lady Tsunade replied, brushing back a lock of blonde hair. "Can't say much else until she's awake." She replied.

"When will that be?" Naruto asked anxiously. The Hokage looked back at him and shrugged. "Not sure; on her own time, whenever her body can handle being awake, I guess." She replied. Naruto scowled at her; he had a feeling she was withholding information from him.

"You might as well go back to training with Kakashi, Naruto." Lady Tsunade told him. "It'll be a while before she comes to."

Naruto hesitated, glancing at the sleeping girl in the bed. There wasn't any point to stay when she was asleep, but he felt a little bad for just leaving her. "I'll send for you as soon as she wakes." Lady Tsunade promised him, seeing his hesitation.

"OK." He shrugged then, and trotted out of the room with barely a backwards glance; he had plenty of training to do, and it would distract him from the thought of the sleeping girl anyway.

OOO

"Naruto, where are you going?" Sakura demanded as Naruto, once again, tried to slip away unnoticed.

He grimaced as she glared at him, crossing her arms. He didn't want to say he was trying to get away to see a girl- what if Sakura got jealous or something?

As he debated whether to tell her or not, Sasuke spoke up.

"Let him go; we can get more done without him here anyway." He said. Sakura's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink. "You want to practice alone together, Sasuke-kun?" She asked hopefully.

Naruto suddenly wondered if maybe he should stay.

"No." Sasuke said flatly. "I prefer to practice alone, and it's easier to practice without a certain orange interruption." He said and Naruto glared at him. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" He demanded.

Sasuke just snorted and walked off, leaving Naruto to glare after him, clenching his fists. One of these days, he would wipe that smug smirk off Sasuke's face; one day.

Sakura sighed in disappointment and wandered off, leaving Naruto alone in the clearing. He turned and leaped up onto the branches of a tree and took off, wondering if maybe that girl was awake yet.

OOO

"You're in luck, Naruto-san; she just woke up an hour ago." A nurse was saying as she led Naruto down the hospital corridors.

"Is she ok?" Naruto asked as she entered the room, but when he turned around the nurse had left him alone. He shrugged and turned back to see the girl sitting quietly in the bed, looking at him.

"Hey! You feeling better?" Naruto asked, sitting down at the edge of the bed. She continued to look at him silently with large, inquisitive brown eyes.

"Uh…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, wondering what to say. "What's your name, anyway?" He asked. She continued to stare at him.

"Look, if you don't want to talk, I can just leave…" He started to say but she held up her hand. "I was told you saved my life." She said quietly. Naruto frowned at her then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Though what the hell were you doing sleeping in the middle of the woods?" He demanded, then blinked in surprise as she climbed out of bed.

He watched in shocked silence as she slowly lowered herself to her knees in front of him.

"I am in your debt, Master Naruto." She whispered, bowing her head. "It is the tradition of our people that when a life is saved, that life belongs to the savior." She explained quietly. "I am your humble servant."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Naruto held up his hands. "I don't want a servant!" He exclaimed.

The girl stared at him in confusion. "Do you not wish me to be called a servant? What do you wish to call me?" She asked, looking up at him. Naruto shook his head. "You're not listening!" He groaned. "I mean I don't want you to be my servant or anything! I want you to go back to your village and live your life without serving anyone!"

"I do not have a village to return to." The girl replied quietly. "I came in search of an opportunity such as this; this is the tradition of my people, I need a master. My last master abandoned me a month ago." Though her words and eyes were calm, her lip trembled. "I do not have a free will. I need orders."

"Then I order you to have a free will." Naruto decided, standing up. "It doesn't work that way, Master." She said quietly and Naruto rolled his eyes, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. "This isn't happening!" He moaned. "I would have made Sasuke or someone who deserves this kind of torture save you if I knew _this_ would happen!" He exclaimed.

"Do I displease you, Master?" The girl asked and Naruto glared at her. "Yes, you displease me!" He snapped. Her eyes were calm as she looked up at him then. "How do you wish for me to punish myself then, Master? Or would you prefer to do it yourself?" She asked. Naruto blinked, staring at her. He shook his head, unable to believe this.

"You displease me because you don't have a free will." Naruto sighed, his anger evaporating as he collapsed back onto the bed. "Get off your knees, please?" Naruto begged, hating seeing her like that. She obeyed quickly, rising to her feet. "Sit down." He ordered, and she immediately sat on the floor. He felt a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head as he forced a twitching smile. "I meant on the bed?"

She sat down quietly beside him, waiting for more orders. Naruto hesitated. He would have to talk to Lady Tsunade about this; apparently, she wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm not going to order you to do anything." He said and she frowned. "Then what will you do?" She asked and Naruto shrugged. "I dunno." He replied. "I need to go talk to someone, so will you stay here?" He asked.

"Of course; I shall await your return, Master." She replied. "Quit that!" He exclaimed. She stared at him in confusion. "Don't call me Master; call me Naruto, please?" He asked and she nodded. "Yes M-Naruto." She corrected herself. "And stop with the formal talking, it's annoying." He said as he left her in the room to go find Lady Tsunade.

OOO

"I don't know Naruto, I've heard of this kind of thing before; I don't think we can make her leave you alone." Lady Tsunade shrugged.

"Sounds like she's pretty serious." Lady Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, added.

"Unless you want us to lock her up, we can't do much about it." Lady Tsunade said and Naruto groaned. "What am I supposed to do with her?!" He exclaimed.

"Let her do her duty; you don't have to make her drag you around in a cart, just let her serve you until she finally can be set free from her duty." Lady Tsunade suggested. "How can she get freed?" Naruto demanded eagerly. "By death." She replied flatly and Naruto's shoulders sagged.

He was so screwed.

OOO

He didn't see the girl for a few days after that; he waited for her to randomly pop up and ask for orders, but she never showed.

Meanwhile, word spread around the village that Naruto now had a servant- he was used to teasing, but not about things he would never do, such as order a girl around and make her do the horrible things some of the men suggested he have her do.

He was starting to worry about her though; where was she?

He decided to check the hospital, see if they hadn't discharged her yet- he found her sitting on the bed in the exact spot he had left her.

"I have been waiting for you." The girl said as he walked in and Naruto smacked his hand against his forehead. "Gah! I forgot I told you to wait here!" He groaned. "Have you really been here this entire time?" He gasped.

She nodded. "I cannot do anything without your approval." She explained and Naruto groaned. This was going to be a _long _lifetime.

"Let's just go." Naruto sighed. "Do you have a place to stay?" He asked as she stood. She shook her head. "I am supposed to stay with my master." She replied, looking at him expectedly. He sighed. Of course.

"Great." He muttered. "Don't you have any other clothes?" He asked, frowning at her hospital gown. "Aren't you going to choose my uniform?" She asked and Naruto frowned. Uniform? Like a maid's outfit or something?

He imagined the girl in a little maid's dress and felt a trickle of blood escape his nose. Future Hokage or not, he was still a twelve-year-old boy.

"What about the clothes you were wearing before?" Naruto asked, shaking off the mental images that were surfacing- they were the kind of things if he spoke aloud Sakura would have thrashed him.

"Did you like those, Naruto?" She asked and he shrugged. "Sure, if you did."

"I liked them if you did." She replied and Naruto rolled his eyes. "I order you to tell me the truth, did you like those clothes?" He demanded, trying to remember what they looked like. She bit her lip, then shook her head slowly. "They weren't comfortable." She admitted softly and Naruto beamed. "There, you see that? That's called an 'opinion'- didn't that feel good?" Naruto asked and she blinked at him. "Is it supposed to feel good?" She asked and Naruto sighed. "Guess we're back to square one." He muttered, then looked back at her. "Come on; let's get you something to wear."

OOO

An hour later, Naruto realized he had forgotten something important.

"Hey, I never did get your name." He said suddenly. She looked back at him. "I don't have one." She replied. Naruto frowned. "What did your last master call you?" He tried. "'Girl'." She shrugged.

"What about your parents? They had to call you something other then 'girl'." He pointed out. "Four." She replied, and Naruto stared at her, flabbergasted. "Wha…?"

"My name was Four." She explained. "I was the fourth child." Naruto stared at her. "Your parents didn't even name you?" He asked, horrified. "Of course not. We do not receive names until we are married or our master decides on a name." She explained. "It is a term of endearment and parents do not wish to be attached to their children, for they lose them quite quickly, usually."

"Why?" Naruto asked, fascinated as he led the way around the clothing store, picking out random articles of clothing.

"Because they usually sell them." She replied quietly and Naruto stopped dead. "Your parents _sold_ you?" He demanded. She nodded. "I fetched a good price." She said and Naruto thought she sounded almost… _proud. _Proud of being sold?

He just shook his head, unable to comprehend the strange world she came from. "Naruto…" She started, then hesitated. Naruto looked back at her. "Yeah?"

She looked down at her feet, suddenly looking shy. "Will you…?" She bit her lip. "I'm sorry." She hung her head suddenly. "I will not ask anything of you, I forgot my place." She whispered hurriedly. "No, it's all right; I like it when you ask me things." He said, turning to face her. "Come on, you can ask me anything."

She looked up at him, biting her lip again- he guessed that was something she did when nervous, like how Hinata poked her fingers together.

"…will you name me?" She whispered, then hung her head, embarrassed. He stared at her in surprise. "Uh, sure?" He said, blinking in confusion. "Why don't you pick something?" He asked and she shook her head vehemently. "It is not tradition!" She exclaimed. "The Master or husband always chooses the name!" She protested.

"All right, all right!" Naruto held up his hands, holding off her approaching rant- she looked upset.

"I'll pick something." He muttered, trying to think.

Where was he supposed to start? How did people go about picking names for people? Just pick a name they liked and slapped it on the person?

As he waited for the girl to change, he ran through names in his head, discarding all of them. None of them seemed to fit the quiet girl. It would hit him eventually, he supposed, just as she stepped out of the dressing room in the first outfit.

She was wearing tight-fitting black pants and a matching black top that exposed her midriff; she stood patiently in front of him, waiting for his opinion.

"Do you like it?" He asked. "Do you?" She replied automatically and Naruto groaned under his breath. Would it be too cruel to name the girl "Echo"?

"Tell me the truth, do you like it?" He sighed, and she frowned. "I don't like the shirt." She admitted. "It's too little." Naruto nodded- most of the girls he knew liked exposing that much skin, but he noticed she had her arms crossed over her exposed stomach.

"What about the pants?" He asked she nodded. "I like the pants." She said quietly. "They're comfortable." Naruto nodded, then said, "Why don't you go pick a shirt out?" He suggested and she frowned. "Do you want me too?" She asked. "Yes, in fact, I order you to find a shirt you actually like." He said and she nodded, moving off quickly into the aisles.

OOO

"I think you made a good choice." Naruto said as they left.

The girl had picked a pale purple sleeveless top that covered her midsection; it was simple, like most ninja wear. He wondered suddenly if she even was a ninja; she didn't wear a headband.

He asked her about it and she shook her head. "We are forbidden to learn to fight." She explained. He nodded, wondering if it wasn't too late to find her a teacher- he didn't like the idea of her being helpless.

"Have you thought of a name?" She asked shyly as they started to walk home. Naruto shrugged, looking up at the cold winter sky; dark clouds covered the night sky, and as he looked snow began to fall.

He had a flashback of finding the girl covered in snow, of running back through it. He looked back at her, and saw that she was looking up as well, snow landing on her cheeks and melting instantly.

"Yuuki." He decided. She looked at him in surprise. "Is that my name?" She asked and he nodded. "If you want it to be." He added and she smiled slightly. "I like that name." She said quietly.

"OK- Yuuki it is." He declared and she smiled wider as he followed him down the street. She paused when she saw the Hokages carved into the mountain, and frowned at him quizzically.

"Those are all faces of our past Hokages," Naruto explained, seeing her questioning face and knowing she was not going to voice her question. "And I'm going to be on there someday." He added and her eyes widened. "You will be a Hokage?" She asked, awe-struck. Naruto nodded and grinned, turning back to the mountain.

"Someday I am going to be Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village!" He declared. Yuuki smiled slightly at him. "You will be a great Hokage, Naruto." She said and he flashed her a brilliant, if slightly embarrassed smile. No girl had ever said that before. "Thanks." He said as they began walking again.

"I will help you rise to the top." Yuuki said firmly as they walked. Naruto sighed. "I don't doubt it." He said, suddenly a bit dejected at the thought of putting up with her for that long. Yuuki's face fell a little. "Are you upset, Naruto?" She asked and he hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"I hate thinking that you're going to have to follow me around until then." He muttered. Yuuki looked at him, her eyes suddenly sad. "I am sorry if I am troubling you." She said quietly and Naruto shook his head. "No, you're fine." He said. "I just hate the fact you're always going to have to be someone's slave for life." He said, frowning.

"There are only two ways to break the cycle." She said quietly and Naruto turned to her. "What are they?" He asked eagerly. "One is for me to die." She said softly and Naruto sighed. "But, there is one other way- if, somehow, I ever saved your life, we would be, as you say, 'even'. The balance between servant and master would be reached, and we could live as equals." She explained and Naruto grinned at her. "Guess I'll have to bring you along on all my missions from now on- you'll probably have plenty of opportunities to save me then." He said and Yuuki frowned.

"Are you always in such danger, Naruto?" She asked, staring at him. "Yeah." He shrugged. "It's the way of the ninja." He explained. The color drained from her face and she nodded tightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned. She couldn't really be worried about his life yet, could she? They'd only known each other for one day…

"If you die, I will have to die too." She said quietly. Naruto stopped dead and stared at her. "But that's not fair!" He protested. "If something ever happened to me, you should be freed, not have to die too!" He exclaimed. She stared at him with calm eyes. "It is the way." She said firmly. Naruto sighed. He would never understand her family's traditions- maybe he could gradually teach her to ignore them, at least the most ridiculous ones like having to die if your master did.

"You don't have to worry about that though." He said as he started to walk again, Yuuki a few steps behind him. "I don't plan on dying before I become Hokage." He winked at her and she smiled slightly. "I hope you live a long, long time Master Naruto." She said quietly then winced as she said Master. Naruto let it slide, deciding not to address it.

"Come on- I'm starving, and I know a fantastic ramen place, what do you say we get something to eat?" He asked and she nodded once and Naruto grinned excitedly, as he always did at the thought of ramen as he led the way quickly down the road.

OOO

**Author's Note:**

Gah. Yuuki. It's so overdone.

Yet, I love the name. I'm sorry. xD

I got all cliché, I know, but oh well.

Now, please review! No flames please! :D

LOSGAP =D

7


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

Hey everyone, glad to see you liked that last chapter enough to come back for more! :D

Beware of self-gratification in this chapter. xD I could not resist.

I'm sorry lol

Anyway, please enjoy the chapter! :D

DISCLAIMER:

* * *

I do not own Naruto; Yuuki, however, is mine.

LOSGAP =D

Naruto awoke, groaning, to someone shaking him. He sat up and stared blearily ahead.

"Naruto, are you awake?" A voice whispered tentatively. Naruto blinked in response, staring dully ahead. There was a quiet sigh from beside him then something lifted him out of bed and placed him in front of a door he recognized as his bathroom door.

Clothes were put into his hands and he was gently pushed into the bathroom, where he could hear his shower running.

"I'll prepare breakfast." The voice said and Naruto visibly perked up at the thought.

He had to admit, having Yuuki around certainly sped up his mornings; he never usually woke up with enough time to shower and have a decent breakfast before he had to run to meet Kakashi (though he was always late, so he wondered sometimes why he bothered to come on time.)

Not to mention, the girl made a mean bowl of ramen, which automatically set her high in Naruto's eyes.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Naruto?" She asked, following him to the door. He thought for a moment.

He had given up trying to avoid giving her things to do- without orders, she did them anyway, usually doing them in a way that would make things difficult, like picking up his things and putting them where he couldn't find them.

So he had asked her to help him get ready in the morning- in his semi-comatose state, he hadn't put up a fight as she calmly and quietly got him ready for the day.

"No, I can't think of anything." He said as Yuuki picked up his bag and shouldered it, her eyes challenging him to try and take it back.

He shrugged, deciding there was no harm in letting her do it, and left the matter alone as they walked to the usual meeting spot for training.

As usual, it was before dawn and he was half-asleep, but Yuuki was bright-eyed and alert, trailing just a little behind him.

"You know, you can walk beside me, instead of acting like a dog or something." Naruto said sleepily, looking back at her. She nodded and trotted up to his side, though Naruto noticed she was always just a little bit behind- old habits died hard, he guessed.

The two of them beat both Sasuke and Sakura, and sat down on the ground and waited for Kakashi. Normally, Naruto would have been hungry and would have had a bit of his bento to tide him over as he waited, but considering the three bowls of ramen he'd had that morning, for once he was fine.

He didn't remember nodding off, but the next thing he knew Yuuki was shaking him awake and pointing wordlessly to where Sasuke was approaching, Sakura not too far off.

"Well this is weird." Sakura commented as she came up. "Naruto actually got here first." Naruto grinned at her, instantly more alert.

"Who's she?" Sasuke asked, frowning down at Yuuki. Yuuki didn't speak, and looked over at Naruto.

"This is Yuuki," Naruto said after a minute, realizing Yuuki wasn't going to introduce herself. "She's my, uh, friend." He said and Yuuki's head whipped around, staring at him.

"Friend?" She repeated in a voice so soft Sakura and Sasuke couldn't have possibly overheard. Naruto nodded, and Yuuki's lips twitched into a smile before she looked away, staring shyly at the ground.

Naruto didn't care that he and Yuuki were sitting but Sasuke and Sakura were standing; he made no move to get up.

None of them tried to talk, though Naruto noticed the inquisitive looks both Sasuke and Sakura shot Yuuki- he was pleased to see Sakura's the most; he wondered if she was getting jealous.

He had a rather interesting idea just then and decided he would ask Yuuki about it later- the thought of it made him grin excitedly to himself.

OOO

Later that day, after Kakashi finally showed up, Team 7 split up to work on chakra control, a punishment exercise since Naruto had lost control during a routine chakra exercise.

"Hey, Yuuki?" Naruto asked as he hung upside down from the branch of a tree, frowning down at her. She looked up expectantly. "Do you need something, Naruto?" She asked.

He hesitated, then swallowed hard. "Um, I have a favor to ask." She looked almost amused. "A favor?"

She was starting to get used to his inability to give her orders.

"…will you pretend to be my girlfriend?" He asked hopefully. "Of course." Yuuki said, looking surprised by the request. "How would you like me to act?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know." Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "I've never had a girlfriend before." He admitted. "I will take care of it." Yuuki said and Naruto beamed at her happily.

"Can you really play it up in front of Sakura?" He asked. "I want to make her jealous." He added with a devious grin. Yuuki blinked up at him. "You have feelings for her?" She guessed. He nodded, seeing no reason to hide things from his "girlfriend".

"I will do all I can to help you." Yuuki promised, smiling up at him. Naruto beamed back, and promptly fell off his branch.

OOO

"All right; that's enough for today, I have to leave for a mission." Kakashi said. Before any of the team could ask where he was going, Kakashi had disappeared in a puff of smoke. Yuuki jumped, as she had when he had first appeared that morning.

It was the first time Yuuki and Naruto had been with the rest of the team since Yuuki had agreed to play his girlfriend, and as soon as Kakashi left Naruto got a good taste of what an excellent actress Yuuki was.

Her arm curled around Naruto's waist and she pressed her cheek against his chest, winding herself around him. Sakura's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Naruto, do you want to eat now? It's about lunch time." Yuuki asked, her voice even softer then usual as she blinked up at him. Naruto flushed a bit, glancing at Sakura, pleased to see her stunned face. Even Sasuke, usually devoid of my expression, was staring in something akin to shock at the two of them. He flashed a grin at both of them as Yuuki led him a ways off, sitting down where the other two would not hear their conversation.

"I packed you your bento- you are a terrible cook." Yuuki frowned, handing him a new bento from the one he had originally made yesterday. "You are not supposed to make them the day before." She added as she pulled out her own.

"They are still looking at us," Yuuki said, not even looking up as she opened hers. Naruto looked over and, sure enough, both Sasuke and Sakura were staring over at them- Sakura was positively gawking, but Sasuke was at least a bit more subtle- but he was definitely still looking.

"Open." Yuuki ordered, holding up her chopsticks, tightly holding a clump of rice. Naruto blushed to the roots of his hair- Yuuki was _good. _

After they ate Yuuki insisted on making a big show on what she referred to as "cuddling"- she leaned back against him, turning her head so that her forehead pressed against his jaw.

"Um," Naruto cleared his throat- it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying with her doing that. "I see you know what you're doing." He commented; she nodded against him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight in a not unpleasant way.

"My old master wished for similar things." She explained and Naruto frowned. He had a feeling he was treading on dangerous ground and decided to drop the subject.

Seeing Sakura was still staring at them- she hadn't even noticed that Sasuke had left a while ago- he grinned at her as he wrapped his arms around Yuuki, holding her close. Unfortunately he had been leaning on his hands until just then and lost his balance.

"Ow." Naruto grimaced as the back of his head bumped against the ground. "Are you all right?" Yuuki asked worriedly, looking at him anxiously. With her this close, lying on top of him, it was hard for Naruto to speak for a moment.

"I'm fine." He said weakly just as Sakura walked over.

"I see you two are a pretty serious couple." She remarked. "We are quite happy together." Yuuki replied- in her usual emotionless voice it didn't have much effect though.

"Yes, yes we are!" Naruto exclaimed, a little too loudly, pulling Yuuki close and grinning up at Sakura. Sakura just frowned at them then shrugged, wandering off.

"I think it's working." Naruto whispered happily to Yuuki. "I hope it is." Yuuki agreed as Naruto began struggling up, dumping Yuuki on the ground by accident. She was up again before he had time to ask if she was all right, picking up the remains of the bento and packing up the bag, shouldering it.

"What do you want to do now?" Yuuki asked, looking down at him expectantly as Naruto got to his feet.

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged. "What do you want to do?" He asked and Yuuki just blinked at him. "Oh right. No opinion. I forgot." He sighed, scratching his head. "I suppose I could try and teach you some basic skills, I guess…" He shrugged. If Yuuki was to come with on his next mission- which he had no doubt she would- she should learn to at least defend herself. He wouldn't be able to watch her back all the time.

"Come on; let's go find a good spot to practice, where people won't see us." He said, leading the way off into the woods.

OOO

Yuuki's hand flew up, her kunai blocking Naruto's as he threw her a test shot.

"Great!" He exclaimed. Yuuki beamed at his praise. "I am doing well?" She asked and Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"Very well!" He said. "You have good reflexes." He noted, walking towards her and she nodded. "Thank you." She replied quietly, her cheeks tinged pink. "I am happy you are pleased with my training."

"Very pleased- you know what, we've been training all day, and I'm hungry- want to go get something to eat?" He asked and she nodded. "Master, if I may ask, do you never eat at home?" She asked politely as they started to walk.

"Not usually." Naruto admitted with a laugh. "Why, do you not like eating out?" He asked, and she shook her head. "No, I like it very much- it means I do not have to clean up." She admitted and Naruto laughed. "I like that part too." He grinned. Even though Sakura wasn't around to see, he slipped his hand into hers and led her on still faster. "Come on! I know a great place!"

OOO

Naruto gaped at the restaurant in front of him, and then grinned over at Yuuki, who frowned at him warily, knowing he was thinking.

"Sakura's here." He whispered as though letting her in on a big secret, pointing towards a back booth where Sakura sat alone.

"Should we join her?" Yuuki asked. "Of course." Naruto grinned, dragging Yuuki along behind him. He stopped in front of Sakura and was suddenly shy, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"Hey, Sakura, I saw you're eating alone…" He said shyly. Sakura sighed. "Do you two want to sit down?" She offered, beckoning her hand towards the bench across the table before her. Naruto immediately scooted in, and Yuuki sat down quietly beside him.

Naruto was so pleased to be allowed to sit with Sakura that for a moment he forgot about his and Yuuki's pretend relationship, and jumped a little as Yuuki laid her head on his shoulder, looking challengingly at Sakura, who stiffened under her glare.

Yuuki's arm curled protectively around him as she continued to look pointedly at Sakura, who seemed to be glaring right back. Naruto had no idea what was going on between the two girls, but the air suddenly felt a bit colder to him.

"Um… did you order yet, Sakura?" Naruto asked, glancing between the girls, who were glaring daggers at each other. "No." She said stiffly. "Naruto, why don't you get our orders? It's busy tonight." She said, her eyes never leaving Yuuki's.

"Uh… sure?" Naruto glanced between them again, then stood and left, wondering what was going on.

Yuuki watched him go, making sure to fill her gaze with longing as though she ached for his return before she turned back to Sakura. She folded her fingers together and rested her chin on them, smiling coyly at the pink-haired girl.

"I see the way you look at Naruto," She said, and Sakura frowned. "I just thought that I'd let you know it's useless if you try and bat those pretty eyes at him anymore- he's mine now." She said and Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"He has eyes only for me now- you couldn't get him if you tried." Yuuki went on. Sakura's green eyes flashed with barely suppressed rage. "Are you saying I couldn't get him?" She snorted. "Please. He's had a crush on me for years."

"It's pathetic really, the way he moons over me." Sakura smiled with false sweetness at her.

"Like the way you moon over Sasuke?" Yuuki asked and Sakura flushed, glowering at her.

Yuuki nonchalantly reached into her pocket and pulled out the kunai Naruto had given her.

"I would rather you not speak poorly of Naruto." Yuuki added quietly. "I am so clumsy, and this thing tends to just fly out of my hand!" She laughed, flicking her hand and the kunai landed in the wall beside Sakura's ear. She swallowed hard.

As she leaned across the table to retrieve it, she paused, her lips close beside Sakura's ear.

"Insult him again, and you will suffer." She sat back in her seat and smiled sweetly at the very pale Sakura as Naruto returned.

"I'm back!" He announced, flopping down in the seat and flinging an arm around Yuuki's shoulders. Yuuki's eyes did not leave Sakura's as she smiled and said "I missed you." and rested her head on Naruto's chest.

"He's mine." Yuuki mouthed, curling her arms around Naruto and smiling at Sakura.

OOO

"Wow, did you see the way Sakura was acting?" Naruto asked eagerly. Yuuki smiled. "I did." She replied. After Naruto had returned, Sakura had been nothing but sweetness and sugar to him; Naruto may not have noticed the subtle flirting or the triumphant looks Sakura sent Yuuki whenever Naruto laughed or blushed at something Sakura had said, but Yuuki had been well aware of them.

Her plan was working; it was the old wanting what you couldn't have trick she had pulled on Sakura- in no time, Sakura would be pulling out all the stops to win Naruto away from Yuuki. Girls were petty, competitive creatures- Yuuki was well aware of this fact, and would use it to her full advantage.

She didn't mind the fact that Sakura would think she had won when she had stolen Naruto from her; it was Yuuki who would have truly won, by giving her master what he wanted most.

It was a strange request- her old master had never tried to have her win the hearts of women for him; this was certainly interesting.

But then again, Naruto was so unlike her old master- he was kind, he treated her with respect and valued her opinion- he _wanted_ her to be free eventually. No one had ever told her that before- it made her feel special.

She looked over at Naruto, who was grinning to himself, still preening a bit about his brilliant plan to win Sakura's heart. She smiled to herself. Never before had she actually thought kindly of her master.

**Author's Note:**

Gah. Went just a little bit corny in the last bit. *sigh* Oh well. I promise there won't be too much of that.

So yeah. If you enjoyed the chapter, please review! No flames please :D

LOSGAP =D

6


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! Welcome back!

I hope you guys all love the chapter and please review!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Yuuki, however, belongs to me.

LOSGAP =D

* * *

"…mission my foot!" Naruto ranted, scowling furiously ahead.

Yuuki followed in silence, letting him fume without interruption.

"You saw him! It's not like anyone else looks like him- he had a girl on each arm, the bastard!" Naruto snarled. Yuuki nodded, agreeing.

They hadn't seen Kakashi in three days, but there he was outside a bar, laughing with two pretty women, leading them away. He hadn't noticed- or at least not acknowledged- either Yuuki or Naruto, even as Naruto pointed at him and screamed his name.

"This had better mean he shows up tomorrow for training." Naruto grumbled as they reached his apartment. "It's not that I don't like helping you," He said, glancing quickly over at Yuuki, who nodded. She had very much enjoyed the past few days, alone with Naruto in the woods as he taught her the basics.

"It's just that I hate not being able to train." He sighed. "If I'm going to be Hokage, I need to train like crazy until that day." He said. Yuuki nodded again, understanding.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Who does he think he is, blowing us off?" He muttered to himself, still not over the sight of seeing Kakashi on his "mission".

Yuuki sighed patiently and sat down on his couch to listen to the rest of Naruto's rant, knowing it would be a while.

OOO

Thankfully, for Naruto's sanity, Kakashi returned the next day and even though Naruto called him out in front of Sasuke and Sakura, he denied all accusations.

"I have a very common face," Kakashi said. "I'm sure you must be mistaken."

"A common face?!" Naruto shrieked. "You have white spiky hair and a mask! You have _one eye_- who else looks like that?!"

Yuuki nodded vigorously in agreement, frowning up at the man. Naruto held a deep respect for Kakashi; she could see that, so she automatically felt he must be very powerful; he certainly hadn't shown it though. He never fought with them, only reading some book and blowing them off for women.

Still, if Naruto trusted him, then she would too.

"Let's just continue," Kakashi said, ignoring Naruto. "We'll be leaving for a mission tomorrow morning, so let's rest up until then." He said and Naruto looked up, all anger gone to be replaced for hope. Yuuki felt her breath still in her chest; a mission?

"We're to escort a man back to his home in the Hidden Rock Village." Kakashi said. "Boring." Naruto yawned.

"Remember the _last_ escort mission we had?" Sakura reminded him. "You and Sasuke nearly died." A shadow crossed her features as she frowned, remembering. Yuuki paled.

"But we didn't." Naruto said quickly, seeing Yuuki's scared look. "We'll be fine; I bet it's just going to be a long, boring walk in the park." He said.

"Meet back here tomorrow at dawn." Kakashi said, before he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Instead of looking startled, Yuuki frowned curiously at the spot he had been. "How does he do that?" She murmured, half to herself.

Naruto shrugged; it hadn't been a jutsu he'd been very curious to learn.

"Well, come on; we've got a lot to do if you're coming tomorrow." Naruto said, frowning as he thought of all the things that could happen to Yuuki because she was so inexperienced. What if she got hurt while he was fighting or something? It would be all his fault.

"She's coming?" Sakura repeated in shock- Naruto realized Sasuke had disappeared- he had been doing that a lot lately.

"I can't leave her behind." Naruto replied and Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course you can't leave your _girlfriend_ behind." She muttered and Naruto hoped that was jealously he heard in her voice.

"Well if she gets killed, you only have yourself to blame." She snorted, storming off. Yuuki turned towards Naruto, who was staring after Sakura with anguish in his eyes. "I will not allow myself to get hurt." Yuuki said quietly. "If I die, who will get you out of bed in the morning and make sure you put your sandals on the right feet?" She asked and Naruto laughed, remembering tripping over his feet earlier that morning and Yuuki quickly identifying and fixing the problem.

"I guess I forgot how stubborn you are." He chuckled, patting her on the head. Yuuki smiled up at him. "What should we do now?" She asked and Naruto frowned. "Well, I guess we should just take it easy- we shouldn't have to worry about you looking after yourself, I can do that for you." He promised her as they began walking towards town.

"And I will look out for you." Yuuki said firmly and Naruto flashed her a grin. He doubted she would be much help in a fight, and most likely he would spend the majority of any battles guarding her, but he didn't mind- as Hokage he would protect the village, he could handle looking after one small girl.

OOO

Naruto stumbled along sleepily beside Yuuki as Team 7 quietly followed Kakashi, who was walking beside the man they were hired to escort, Yoshio Hinamori. He was an intimidating tall man, with dark hair and darker eyes; a man of his size that could not fight confused Yuuki tremendously until he quietly explained the reason he would never be a ninja.

He was blind.

Yuuki couldn't decide what she thought of him; one the one hand he terrified her with his massive physical bulk and intimidating presence, but on the other he was completely helpless.

She deemed him as harmless; for a big man, he would not be able to catch her if he was looking for her in the dark.

Still, she stuck close to Naruto, just in case.

"See? I told you, no one's going to get hurt, we're just going to walk there and back, it'll be fine." Naruto whispered to Yuuki and she nodded once, allowing herself to relax.

On the way to the Hidden Village of Rock, they had to take the long way around the Hidden Grass Village, as Yoshio said he had enemies in that land, and so they took the route through the Hidden Rain Village; they could always take the short cut through the Hidden Grass Village on the way home.

Yuuki had never been to the Hidden Rain Village, but she couldn't say she was entirely surprised when it started to rain.

"I take it we are in the Hidden Rain Village now?" She guessed, frowning thoughtfully up at the sky, watching the rain splash down on them. It seemed odd when it was cold in Konoha for it to be warm and muggy here.

"Yeah." Naruto said, since no one else could hear her over the pouring rain as he rummaged through his bag that he had insisted on carrying.

They all slipped on their rain coats, easing the rain just a bit, but they still got mainly soaked. Yuuki did not mind the rain, but was alone in her opinion- everyone except Kakashi and Yoshio (she couldn't hear them anyway) complained about it.

Sasuke even grumbled a few times, mainly to agree, curtly, with Sakura that yes, this rain was indeed annoying and would slow them down, though he did add that real ninjas did not complain about things they couldn't change. Yuuki wondered if that meant maybe she was a ninja at heart, since she didn't voice her complaints?

Naruto, who had been the loudest to complain, took this as a personal offense and sulked for the majority of the trip to the first stop for the night.

They stopped under an outcropping of trees that provided some shelter, but just enough so that they could start a fire.

Yuuki insisted on starting the fire and on preparing dinner, and was met with little resistance- it was not a fun job for anyone; they all huddled in their coats, watching her work.

"Must be nice, having someone who will anything you want, no questions asked." Sakura remarked to Naruto. He shrugged, choosing not to respond. Apparently, Sakura had heard the rumors too. Sasuke looked over at them. "Is she really your girlfriend then?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. Naruto scowled at him. "Yes!" He snapped, glaring at him.

Sakura frowned. "Then how come you don't kiss her?" She pointed out, blinking at him curiously. Naruto flushed, staring at the ground as he stuttered a response.

"I knew it." Sasuke said, his smug tone vaguely triumphant to have pointed yet another fault in Naruto. "Who'd ever want to go out with _you?"_ He snorted.

"She would!" Naruto growled. Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Prove it." He replied and Naruto glared at him. "Fine, I will!" He spat, climbing to his feet. Sakura frowned at him. "Naruto, what are you…"

"Yuuki," Naruto hissed, approaching the girl bent over the meager flames she had coaxed out of the wood. She stood up instantly and turned to him expectantly as he came over. "I'm sorry," He apologized as he came over, his face flaming red.

She looked at him in confusion, the fire throwing her face into shadow, casting a bright, unnatural glow to her brown eyes. "What…" She started to ask him what was wrong but he cut her off as he shut his eyes tight and kissed her.

Yuuki went rigid with shock, stiffening as his lips crushed against hers with unnecessary force, her eyes popping wide with surprise.

He had meant it only to be a quick peck, just enough to satisfy Sasuke, but he forgot all about who was watching as soon as he kissed her. His face, previously pinched with embarrassment relaxed as he unconsciously curled his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

He didn't know how long it would have lasted if Kakashi hadn't interrupted them, sounding amused as he called for them to break it up.

Naruto jerked back from Yuuki, his face scarlet. Yuuki ducked her head and went quickly back to her work, but in the brief moment he saw her face before her hair shielded it from him, he thought that she was blushing too.

OOO

"I'm sorry again, about earlier." Naruto whispered as soon as he was sure that everyone else was asleep, sitting down on the ground beside Yuuki's sleeping bag. She blinked at him with sleepy amusement.

"Do not apologize." She yawned. "I am the one who should be sorry; I should have done that much earlier and saved you the embarrassment." She apologized.

"I think the only embarrassing part was that Kakashi had to see it." Naruto grimaced. Yuuki smiled slightly, her eyes drifting shut again. She would be tired at the long walk today, Naruto realized; she wasn't trained for this kind of thing, he was barely even a little sleepy, but she looked exhausted.

"You go to sleep." Naruto suggested gently. "It's late."

"But you are keeping watch," Yuuki protested, her eyes snapping open. "I do not want you to be lonely."

"I'll be fine." Naruto promised, grinning at her. "I'm used to it. Don't make me order you to sleep." He teased, but Yuuki took him seriously and instantly shut her eyes. "Good night Master." She whispered into the silence. Naruto sighed at the term, then said, "Good night Yuuki."

Within moments her breathing evened out as she slipped into a deep sleep; Naruto looked at her in amusement, wondering if she would ever make a good ninja if a day of walking could tire her out like that.

_She's never had any training,_ He reminded himself. _She's actually pretty strong; she didn't ask for a break or anything today. _He thought as he crossed his arms behind his head, gazing into the woods as he listened to the crackling of the fire, trying to ignore his still-tingling lips.

OOO

**Author's Note:**

Ugh. Kissing scenes. HATE THEM. . No matter what I do they come out corny or gross. Gah.

Anyway, please ignore my terrible writing. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter!

But before I go, I need to address some things.

I've got a couple of reviews for this story, and I'm insanely grateful for them; if you guys review this story, can't you do the same curtsey for some other good stories on here that aren't getting any reviews?

My best friend, 'Nightengale'Serenade'93, has a fantastic story on here called "Broken Promise", a wonderful Naruto story that none of you would regret going to see- take a peek and leave her a review, ok?

And her beta-e, xXemo-vampire-angelXx, is writing an awesome story called "Shattered Heart, Healed Heart"- it's a great story that also isn't getting much feedback, so please go check it out!

Well, that's all for now, thank you for reading and please leave me a review! :D

LOSGAP =D

5


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

Gah I am so sorry for not updating in forever T_T This is the third time I've had to write this chapter, so sorry if it seems a little rushed in places, I was seriously lacking creative juices by the end of this -_-'

But anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! :D

LOSGAP =D

* * *

Naruto stumbled along, his eyes half-closed, barely awake.

The team had been walking from sun-up till sun-down for the past three days, and were still deep in the heart of the Hidden Rain village.

Yuuki trudged along in silence just behind Naruto, staring at the ground and watching his feet move in front of her, too tired to look up.

"This is taking forever," Naruto mumbled, scowling ahead at Sasuke and Sakura, who were trailing Kakashi and Yoshio. Yuuki's pace was the slowest in the entire group; she could barely manage to keep up with Naruto, though she plodded on determinedly.

For what she lacked in strength she made up for in willpower; she walked along quietly behind Naruto, carrying both his bag and hers, ignoring the rain and the mud beneath her. The mud was worse then the rain; she sunk into it at every step and had to pull hard to free herself; it was far more tiring then walking on dry ground.

She refused to complain about any of it though, even to Naruto, who complained often to her (and to anyone else within hearing range.)

All she could do was trudge in silence and wait for sunset.

OOO

"I'm so sick and tired of this rain!" Naruto grumbled to Yuuki, who just nodded wearily.

"I'd give anything for a good fight to warm my blood up right now." He said wistfully. Yuuki frowned, remembering his promise to her, that there would not be any fights. She hoped that there wouldn't be any fighting, despite her master's wishes.

They continued on in silence, the only sound the quiet fall of the mist-like rain and the steady squish of shoes in mud.

Each step was getting just a little bit harder; she felt like she was sinking a little deeper, and had to pull a bit harder to free herself. Her legs had long passed that burning sensation and had gone numb, shaking under her every few steps.

She had never really had any real exercise in her entire life, and now she was paying for it; all she'd ever really done was cook, clean, and other things for her previous master. For years, the most physically demanding thing she ever did was outdoor chores, such as cleaning the outside of the house, feeding some of the animals, etc.

Every so often the corners of her vision would darken and she would feel light-headed; distantly, she wondered if she was really going to pass out from exhaustion. She'd never really passed out before, and wondered what it would be like.

"Eh, Yuuki?" She turned her head as Sakura fell into step beside her. Sakura frowned in concern at her. "You ok? You're really pale." She remarked. Naruto looked back at her. "Huh? She's always pale." He pointed out.

"I know but…" Sakura felt her forehead and Yuuki blinked in surprise as she and Naruto both peered at her.

"She does like kinda… sickly." Naruto said, frowning slightly.

"Obviously," Sakura snorted. "She's never had any real training," She smacked Naruto on the back of the head, making Yuuki set her jaw. "Idiot! She shouldn't have come! She's gonna pass out at this rate!" Sakura snapped.

"I do not mind," Yuuki said quietly. "If I do not push myself like this I will not get stronger." She said and Sakura raised her eyebrows while Naruto grinned.

"It won't matter if you kill yourself in the process," She snorted.

"I will be fine," Yuuki insisted as her vision flickered again and she blinked, swaying slightly. "Whoa!" Naruto barely managed to catch her as she fell forward.

"Yeah, you're fine." Sakura said dryly as Yuuki let go of consciousness and faded away, unable to hear Naruto calling her name.

OOO

"Way to go, dope." Sasuke snorted as Naruto hefted Yuuki's unconscious form onto his back.

"It's not my fault!" Naruto snapped, glaring at his teammate. "Who let her come with?" Sasuke retorted, quirking a brow before he turned and walked off with everyone else. Sakura just shook her head, trotting after Sasuke.

Naruto sighed, hating they had a point as he trudged off after them. He should have forced Yuuki to stay home and train so that something like this wouldn't happen; he really should have known better.

He scowled at the mud beneath him, annoyed with himself. As soon as they got home he'd work them both into the ground to ensure he wasn't embarrassed like this ever again in front of Sakura.

_At least she's not heavy. _He thought in relief, glad that the girl was light and barely noticeable on his back. Still, it wasn't easy carrying both her and their bags through the mud that sucked at his legs and threatened to trap him; it had gotten so deep they had to wade through the nearly knee-deep muck.

Maybe it was a good thing though, that he was at the very back of the group, struggling to keep up. Because he was the first to notice the ninja emerging from the brush on the left side of the road.

"Hey! Look out!" Naruto exclaimed, stabbing a finger towards the ninja. Kakashi quickly whirled around and placed himself in front of Yoshio, spraying mud in his haste as Sasuke and Sakura raced over.

It really wasn't fair how everyone else could move swiftly in the mud while Naruto staggered towards them, Yuuki suddenly impossibly heavy on his back.

He was cut off from the others by a woman who smirked down at him.

"Where are you going, cutie?" She grinned and Naruto glared at her. "Hey! I am not a cutie!" He exclaimed, too annoyed at having been separated from everyone else to care what he was saying.

She smirked and crossed her arms, seeming content to keep him away from everyone else while her two teammates approached the group.

"Well, if it isn't Kakashi Hatake." One of them grinned as he walked over.

"It seems you know my name, but I don't believe we've met." Kakashi replied, not relaxing his protective stance.

"We haven't; you're very famous though, Kakashi." The second ninja, a tall man with long, unruly brown hair replied as he came closer, approaching from the rear.

"As is our friend there," The first ninja replied, leaning on his large sword and grinning at them.

Naruto gritted his teeth and glowered at the brunette woman, who winked at him, making him flush and sputter indignantly.

"Yoshio?" Sakura asked in surprise as the first ninja glanced over at Yoshio, who stiffened.

"Of course. I'm sure you know what he's done," The woman said, looking over her shoulder at the pinkette.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," Kakashi said and the first ninja rolled his blue eyes.

"Of course you do," He snapped. "You're escorting a _criminal_." He said and Naruto's jaw dropped. "Eh?! How can a blind guy be a criminal?!" He exclaimed. The woman burst out laughing.

"You hear that, Chikao?" She cackled, looking over at the blonde ninja, whom Naruto was beginning to think was the captain. "He's passing himself as a blind guy now!"

"What are they talking about?" Naruto demanded, glaring past the still laughing woman at Yoshio, who said nothing, staring at the ground.

"He's wanted for fraud," Chikao said lazily. "His real name is Kei Tadahashi." Everyone turned to stare at Yoshio/Kei in disbelief. "And he single handedly swindled our entire clan out of a fortune," His eyes narrowed slightly, despite his nonchalant voice.

"You tricked us!" Naruto exclaimed, stabbing a finger at the man.

"I just wanted to get home," Kei protested. "I have a family waiting for me!"

"Give it up, Kei." The second man snorted. "Your family's in prison. They tried to cover for you," He said and Kei paled.

"You bastards!" He roared, and before anyone could move he charged Chikao.

Kakashi darted forward, trying to stop him, but Kei shoved him roughly out of the way.

"This is between me and him," He hissed, twitching his hand, making a kunai slip down his sleeve and into his waiting palm.

"So wait, you're not blind?" Naruto demanded as Kei attacked Chikao.

His question was ignored as the second ninja charged Sasuke and Sakura from behind, eager to get in on the fight.

Naruto yelped as a fist whistled past his ear, narrowly missing him as he ducked. Yuuki's weight on his back unbalanced him and he fell over in the mud, earning a mouthful of the sludge.

He swore and spat it out, staggering to his feet and leaving Yuuki lying in the mud with a guilty look towards her. He felt bad for dumping her off his back like that, but he couldn't fight with her hindering him.

"All right, let's do this!" Naruto grinned, wiping off the mud on his face on the back of his hand as he lunged.

OOO

Yuuki awoke to pain and her eyes opened slowly, realizing she was cold and wet. For a moment she wondered why she had awoken but then a shooting pain stabbed through her and she flinched, her eyes opening more to see Naruto battling with a woman with long brown hair and intense black eyes.

_What…? _Yuuki tried to make sense of the situation, wondering why she was lying in the mud- had no one picked her up when she'd collapsed? The woman landed a solid punch in Naruto's jaw and that same shooting pain stabbed through her and Yuuki's jaw clenched as agony rippled through her.

Naruto didn't seem to be in too much pain; he gave no signs of being tired or injured, though blood ran down the corner of his mouth and when he opened his mouth his teeth were stained red with his blood.

Her finger twitched as movement slowly returned to her numb limbs, her sides heaving as she tried to wake up her still-sleeping body. Out of the corner of her eye she saw their escort and a strange blonde ninja battling, as well as Sasuke and another unknown brown haired ninja while Kakashi and Sakura stood nearby, Kakashi looking calm, Sakura terrified.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" She would shriek whenever one of them was knocked over. Yuuki set her jaw.

_If she is so worried, why does she not jump in and help? _She wondered. Surely anything would be more helpful then standing around screaming.

Yuuki took a deep shuddering breath as pain exploded in her spine as Naruto was sent reeling by a solid kick to the head.

She gritted her teeth, willing her strength to return, and felt little response in her seemingly dead limbs as she tried to force them to move. Her arms were both trapped underneath her, lodged firmly in the mud. They tingled unpleasantly when she rolled off of them onto a thankfully drier patch of ground.

She flexed her fingers, working sensation back into them as she watched Naruto and the strange enemy ninja battle, anger at her helplessness sending strength flowing through her.

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice grated against her ears as Naruto crumbled to the ground from a blow that Yuuki missed, and he did not get up.

"Naruto?" Yuuki asked softly, and he didn't stir. Yuuki growled low in her throat and pushed off on the ground, her arms shaking underneath her as she staggered to her feet.

"Oh? A new challenger?" The woman asked, grinning at her as Yuuki took an unsteady step over to put herself between her and Naruto.

"Aw, that's adorable." She smirked. "Trying to save your friend? You're a bit late," She said as she lazily drew a kunai, seeing that Yuuki was unarmed.

"We didn't come to kill anyone," She said, twirling it between her fingers. "But seeing as how Kei is refusing to come quietly," She said, glancing pointedly over at Yoshio as he slammed his fist into the blonde's chin. "We may as well, since you won't let us at him too easily," She said.

She moved so fast Yuuki didn't even see her coming. A surge of protectiveness raged through her and she leaped back into the woman's way, keeping her away from Naruto. She gasped, blood bubbling out her throat as pain exploded in her stomach.

"That really wasn't smart," The woman said, her voice low and close to Yuuki's ear as she removed the kunai from her stomach.

"Yuuki!" Naruto's voice sounded distant as for a moment Yuuki's vision flickered.

_Naruto? _She thought, trying to get her bearings as she almost collapsed. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw he was trying to get up, though he kept falling back down, his limbs unable to support him.

Yuuki gritted her teeth, fresh strength flowing through her and she threw her entire body at the woman, not really knowing what she was doing, only that she had to get her away from Naruto.

The woman slipped and skidded on the mud and almost fell backwards, grabbing onto Yuuki's hair to steady herself, making Yuuki gasp with pain as her head jerked roughly to one side.

Without thinking, she balled her hand into a fist and sent it rocketing upwards and connected it solidly with the woman's chin.

Stars exploded in her vision as her hand screamed in agony, tiny bones popping and crunching from the force of impact. For a moment she couldn't see straight in agony but then she realized the woman was recovering and was coming back at her.

"Stupid girl," She growled. "You're not even worth my time! Get out of my way!" She snarled. She tried to shove Yuuki aside but Yuuki pushed off on the ground and wrapped her arm around her neck, her broken hand grabbing onto her shoulder. The woman screeched as she tried to throw Yuuki, only succeeding in slipping in the mud and falling face-first into the muck.

Tears leaked out of Yuuki's ears from the agony burning in her hand but she forced herself to hang on for dear life, at least until Naruto recovered.

The woman was too strong though and rolled over, crushing Yuuki underneath her, driving the air from her lungs. Yuuki tried to breathe, her face pushed into the woman's back, mud surrounding her as she gasped.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" The woman's voice snarled, her voice muffled by the mud in Yuuki's ears as her vision started to fade.

"Get off of her!" Naruto's shout cut through the blackness as the woman was suddenly dragged off of her and flung aside. Naruto was breathing hard, his fists clenched at his sides. Yuuki could have imagined it in her oxygen deprived haze, but his eyes seemed to glow red.

"Midori!" The woman glanced over sharply at where the blonde man was hefting the third ninja over his shoulder. His face was grim. "We're retreating! Come on!" He darted through the woods, and the woman, Midori, gave Naruto one last furious look before she dashed after him.

Yuuki let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, closing her eyes briefly as her vision flickered again.

The way Naruto had talked about fighting, he had made it seem like a glorious, exhilarating game, but Yuuki couldn't see what he had been talking about. Her hand was on fire, her abdomen was bleeding heavily, and she was still trying to get her breath back.

Naruto's head poked into her line of vision, his eyes worried.

"Hey, Yuuki?" He asked anxiously. "You ok?"

Yuuki licked her cracked lips and nodded, though she felt anything but ok. "I am fine. Are you all right?" Yuuki asked, trying to sit up but he firmly pushed her back down.

"Of course I'm fine," He snorted, sounding offended. His eyes suddenly grew wide as saucers. "You're bleeding!" He shrieked, staring in horror at her stomach. Yuuki placed a hand over the wound, feeling her blood, hot and sticky, pumping up between her fingers.

"It is nothing," She replied and Naruto rolled his eyes. "And look at your hand!" He exclaimed, lifting it up. It was swollen and red, her fingers sticking out at angles they shouldn't, bleeding heavily over her knuckles.

"Well, that looks painful." Kakashi commented as he came over and crouched beside her, eyeing her hand with a critical eye.

"She'll have to go back to the village, with both her hand and that wound," He said, his gray eye flashing to her stomach and back to her hand.

"What about Kei?" Naruto asked, glancing over at where the man Yuuki had known as Yoshio stood, staring at the ground, clenching and unclenching his hands.

"We'll take him home," Kakashi said. "And we'll let his village figure out what to do with him." He said. Naruto nodded, looking satisfied.

"Well at least we'll be rid of you two," Sasuke snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets as he came into Yuuki's line of vision.

"Hey! I saw that guy first!" Naruto protested. "And I was the only one who actually managed to take one of them down," Sasuke snorted. Naruto's teeth ground together as he glowered at Sasuke. "Yuuki was braver then you were," He snapped. "She didn't have a clue what she was doing but she still took her on!" He looked back at Yuuki, his eyes shining with praise. Yuuki blinked, flushing slightly at his pleased expression.

"It certainly was brave; stupid, but brave." Kakashi nodded and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I promise I'll train you a ton once you're better," Naruto promised her as Sakura came over, a wad of bandages in her hand. Yuuki found the strength to smile slightly at him before she closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift off.

7


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

Man I seem to really be on a Naruto kick, since I haven't updated anything but Naruto stories in almost two months. O.o

But anyway, hope you enjoy! :D

LOSGAP =D

* * *

Yuuki awoke with a start, realizing someone was calling her name.

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed; his voice sounded annoyed, but his eyes showed relief. "You've been out of it for days! We're almost to the village." He added, glancing back at her. Yuuki realized for the first time they were actually moving and she looked down, her eyes widening in shock to see the forest moving quickly below them.

Naruto landed on another branch and pushed off, seemingly with no effort.

"How're you feeling?" Naruto asked as Yuuki tried to grasp the fact she was riding on Naruto's back fifty feet above the ground.

"Fine." She said weakly. Her abdomen felt stiff, as though heavily bandaged, and when she looked down at her hand she saw it was also wrapped up.

"Let me guess," Naruto said suddenly and lifted his hand, making a fist. "You punched her like this, right?" He said and Yuuki nodded, not seeing the problem. He laughed, and then reformed his fist, this time with his thumb outside of his palm. "That's what happened." He said and Yuuki blinked, confused.

"If you hit someone like that, you'll break your hand pretty easily," Naruto explained. "Next time keep your thumb out." He instructed and Yuuki nodded.

They traveled in silence; Yuuki watched the trees fly by in fascination, wondering if this was how ninjas normally traveled.

"Hey," Naruto said quietly and Yuuki glanced at him. His eyes were downcast. "I'm sorry. I know I promised to protect you." He said and Yuuki shook her head vehemently. "You did protect me!" She said firmly. "I would have died if you did not step in!"

Naruto glanced at her, his eyes pained. "Everyone else was right though. You weren't ready. I shouldn't have let you come," He said and Yuuki tightened her grip with her good hand. "I _wanted _to come," Yuuki insisted. "Wild horses could not keep me from your side if I knew you were in danger."

Naruto flashed her a grin. "You're really stubborn, you know that?" Yuuki smiled and nodded. "So I have been told."

OOO

"You've really never been healed like that?" Naruto asked in surprise as Yuuki flexed her hand, staring at it in wonder. They had just left the hospital after having her hand and stomach healed.

"No." She replied. "I have not. This is…" She hesitated, searching for the right word. "…awesome?" She tried and Naruto burst out laughing.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome." He grinned. Yuuki smiled back at him, not quite getting why it was so funny.

"Well Granny Tsunade said to let you rest for a day at least, and you seem to be better… do you want to train yet?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms behind his head and glancing over at Yuuki.

They were at Ichiraku's, since Naruto insisted their ramen was the best medicine Yuuki could get.

"Yes," She nodded eagerly and Naruto grinned. "Awesome! We'll get to work soon- I'm gonna teach you to be the best ninja around, believe it!" He exclaimed.

OOO

"Uh… Yuuki?" Naruto asked, frowning at her. Yuuki turned to him expectantly.

"…why don't you try actually aiming at the target?" Naruto asked delicately. Yuuki frowned. "I _am_ aiming for the target." She said, confused.

Naruto looked around the clearing, shuriken dotting the grass in almost every direction. Except, of course, anywhere near the target. He sweat dropped.

"Um…ok. You keep doing that. I'm gonna go watch from behind this tree." He said. He was still sore from her nailing him a few times.

Yuuki nodded and took a step back, steeling herself before throwing the shuriken. Naruto flinched slightly as it sailed off to the right and landed in a tree close to where he had just been standing.

"Keep trying!" Naruto encouraged her. Yuuki nodded, looking determined as she threw three; this time one of them managed to nick the side of the target.

"YEAH!" Naruto cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "You almost got it that time!" Yuuki beamed, grinning from ear to ear. "Was that good?" She asked eagerly and he nodded. "Very good! Try to do that again!" He said and Yuuki nodded, throwing a handful of shuriken.

None landed anywhere near the target, and one managed to give Naruto an impromptu haircut, despite his best efforts to duck. He looked at the shuriken pinning a few blonde hairs to the tree behind him and paled slightly.

"I think we need professional help," He said weakly.

OOO

"Oh hey Naruto!" Iruka greeted Naruto as he walked into the classroom. He looked around, smiling softly, a sense of nostalgia settling over him. Yuuki glanced around as well, not seeing what Naruto saw.

"Hey Iruka-sensei," Naruto lifted his hand in a wave as he came over to the teacher's desk. "Who's your friend?" Iruka asked, though Yuuki could see a sparkle enter his eye, as though he knew exactly who she was.

"Oh, this is Yuuki. Yuuki this is Iruka-sensei," Naruto explained, waving a hand in between the two. Yuuki bowed as Iruka smiled and nodded. "What can I do for you, Naruto?" He asked, knowing Naruto wouldn't stop in for just a courtesy visit.

"Is it too late to enroll new students?" Naruto asked, leaning on his desk. Iruka frowned in thought. "No, I don't think so. It's still pretty early in the school year. Why?" Iruka asked curiously. Naruto jerked a thumb at Yuuki. "She needs to go to school." He explained.

"Oh?" Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Isn't she a little old to be in the academy?" He pointed out. "I know, but she knows _nothing._" Naruto protested. "She needs to become a ninja," He explained. "And I can't teach her everything; I've got my own training to worry about." He added and Iruka nodded, smiling slightly. "It's no problem, Naruto. If Yuuki wants to attend here, then she's free to enroll. We'd love to have her." He said and Yuuki's eyes widened slightly.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed. "Thanks Iruka-sensei!" He beamed as Yuuki bowed hurriedly, staying silent.

"It's no trouble. She can start Monday, if she wants." He said and Naruto glanced over at Yuuki, who nodded eagerly. "That is fine with me." She said and Naruto beamed. "Great! That gives us the whole weekend to cram in some more training." He said. "Come on, let's get started! Bye Iruka-sensei!" He exclaimed as he grabbed Yuuki's hand and dragged her out the door.

OOO

Naruto nudged Yuuki with his foot. "You ok?"

Yuuki nodded, still panting, sprawled out on her back in the middle of the training field.

"Man, you really don't have any endurance at all, do you?" Naruto muttered, crouching next to her. He was barely winded, though Yuuki was pale, her face shining with sweat as she gasped for breath.

"No, no I do not." Yuuki gasped. Naruto frowned. "There's not really any jutsus I can teach you that you could learn in one weekend," He said thoughtfully. "And I really worry about sending you to school when you can't even run a few miles." He frowned. He knew how cruel kids could be to the weaker students. He didn't want that to happen to Yuuki.

"I will train harder," Yuuki said as she struggled to get up, and promptly fell over. Naruto frowned and sighed as her eyes closed, dozing off.

"Can you at least walk back home?" Naruto asked, poking her. Her head lolled limply to one side and a bead of sweat ran down the side of his head.

_I'm starting to get really tired of having to carry her home every night…_

OOO

After depositing Yuuki on the couch where she preferred to sleep (he offered to get her a bed, but she protested vehemently for some reason) Naruto made himself dinner and was sitting at the table, eating his ramen when Yuuki stumbled into the kitchen.

"Oh sure, now you wake up, _after_ I carry you home." Naruto snorted, privately amused. Her hair was in disarray, her clothes askew as she looked around. She frowned. "Sorry," She apologized. "I am not very strong," She looked embarrassed. "It's fine," Naruto waved his chopsticks dismissively. He didn't really care; it wasn't like she was heavy or anything.

Yuuki looked like she wanted to say something, but kept hanging her head, seeming not to be able to. Naruto tilted his head at her. "Come on, spit it out." He prodded. Yuuki glanced at him and away. She was chewing on her lip again.

"I…" She hesitated. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me." Naruto said and Yuuki seemed to take comfort in that fact because she raised her head again.

"Naruto, I have been your servant for a while now," She said quietly. "It is time… you saw something. Something no one else can know about." Her brown eyes were deadly serious.

Naruto blinked, completely confused. "Uh… ok? It can't be that bad." He said. Yuuki shook her head. "It will be far worse then what you think it is." She said softly and Naruto frowned, concerned as Yuuki walked away into the living room. Naruto stood and followed, leaving his forgotten ramen on the table.

When he came into the room after her she was sitting on the couch. Her bottom lip was bleeding slightly as she bit down again. "Please do not be frightened." She said softly.

"I doubt anything you do could scare me," Naruto snorted, though he had to admit he was getting a little freaked out by what Yuuki was saying. Slowly, Yuuki reached down and started to remove her shirt.

"Whoa!" Naruto yelped, slapping his hands over his innocent eyes.

"Naruto, it is all right. You may look." Yuuki's voice sounded almost amused.

"No it's not all right! You're _naked!_"

"Will you please look?" Yuuki sighed. "I promise to cover my chest." She said and Naruto hesitated. He had a feeling he was about to lose most of his innocence if he removed his hands.

Finally, curiosity overwhelming him, he slowly lowered his hands. "Naruto, you have to open your eyes." Yuuki reminded him.

"I know," Naruto muttered as with a massive effort of will, he slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as they were open he shrieked, nearly falling over.

"I knew you would be frightened," Yuuki sighed softly.

"How could I not be?! What the hell is that?!" Naruto demanded. Where Yuuki's spine should be was a massive stretch of scars, crossing across her entire back. The scars were mostly white with age, except for a few fresher purple ones, throbbing angrily as she bent over so he could see better.

The most disturbing part was that at the very base of her spine was a massive scar that took the form of a kanji. Squinting, he realized it read "Obey".

All the color drained out of his face as he realized he was looking at something very terrible and dark.

"Naruto, I know I have already asked too much of you, but please, ask me to do something." Yuuki said quietly. Naruto had the bad feeling he was not going to like what he would see next. "Do I have too?" He asked weakly and Yuuki nodded, her face shielded by her black hair.

He hesitated, trying to think of some random order. "Uh…" Of course, the first thing that came across his mind was ramen. "Yuuki, make me some ramen." He said it without any authority and cringed, awaiting whatever Yuuki wanted to show him.

Yuuki took a deep breath, seeming to steel herself. "No." She whispered.

Instantly the kanji glowed white and Yuuki's back arched in agony as the scars on her back began to glow as well; from Naruto's short distance away, he felt a wave of heat and he paled.

He had seen enough. "Ok! Ok!" He exclaimed, waving his hands. "Don't do it!" As soon as he started to protest the glow of the white-hot scars faded. When they had dimmed completely a new, hideous red scar stretched across her spine.

"That is why…" Yuuki's voice was weak and barely audible. "…that is why I must obey you." She whispered.

Naruto had his hand over his mouth. He had seen some terrible things before, but this ranked high among them. "Yuuki… how did that…?" He was trying to make sense of it all. Yuuki sat up slowly, shaking violently as she tugged her shirt back on, her back still to Naruto.

"It was bestowed upon me shortly after birth, as is tradition." Yuuki's voice had become detached. "I do not understand all of the deep magic behind it, but it forces me to obey. Somehow, it knows who my master is." She said quietly. "And though you may not be aware of it yet, it links us." She said and looked up at him. With a shock, Naruto realized she had tears in her eyes.

"I feel your pain," She said quietly. "And any other strong emotion. Whenever you call me, I will hear you. It does not matter if you are thousands of miles away, I will always hear you." She said.

"I don't know if it works both ways though," She admitted. Naruto, still dazed by what he had just seen, came over and sat beside her.

"I am sorry I did not tell you sooner," She said softly. "If this information leaked out to the wrong people, I could be forced to do terrible things." She whispered. "I…" She clenched her jaw and hung her head. "I _hate_ this." Her voice was brittle and Naruto glanced over at her in shock. He'd never heard her sound so angry before. "I hate that I have no free will, that I have no say in this matter!" Naruto stared at her as tears ran down from her tortured, angry eyes. "Why did this happen to me? Who could put such a burden on an infant?" Naruto closed his eyes briefly, hating the pain in her voice, and hating how it opened up still raw wounds.

_I never realized how similar we are. _He thought as he watched tears fall down onto Yuuki's clenched hands in her lap.

"I am sorry," She sniffled. "I should not cry in front of you…" She was cut off as Naruto suddenly turned and wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. She stiffened in shock as he held her close, closing his eyes.

He didn't trust himself to say anything, so remained silent, even as Yuuki's hands reached up and clutched the back of his shirt, burying her face in his chest as she let out a single sob.

He held her as she cried, unused to the feeling of giving comfort to someone in bad need of it. He closed his eyes, listening to her cry as his hands moved in absentminded circles on her back, soothing her.

"It's ok," He murmured after a while and he felt her sobs subside, listening to him. "…I know what it's like, to have no control about something that happened to you when you're that young," His arms tightened around her. "To grow up confused and angry… then to find out the truth, and wonder why it had to happen to you." He wasn't even talking about her anymore, though he didn't really notice or care. Yuuki was silent in his arms, listening. "Were you alone too?" Naruto asked softly and Yuuki nodded against his chest.

"I have been alone since I was two," Yuuki sniffled. Her voice was thick and watery. "I lived with a man I had never met before for eleven years with no other company but his friends." Her hands tightened on his back suddenly.

"I am sorry." Her voice was muffled by his now damp shirt. "I should not have burdened you with my problems."

"It's ok," Naruto assured her. "It's ok to be comforted Yuuki; you need to realize that." He said and Yuuki did not respond.

"I know what it's like because I have something like that…" He said softly. "…I have the spirit of a huge demon, the nine tailed fox, sealed away within me." He said quietly. He turned his head into her hair, waiting for her response.

When she didn't respond he pulled back slightly, his eyes searching her face anxiously. Shock registered on his face, and then his eyes softened. Yuuki had fallen asleep.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" He chuckled quietly as he allowed her to fall back against him, leaning back on the couch as he stared out the window.

"Guess I'll save that one for another time…" He yawned, closing his eyes.

OOO

**Author's Note:**

At first I hated writing Naruto and Yuuki saying things like that to each other, and then I realized Naruto has deeper conversations with total strangers in a fight. I really love that part about Naruto, makes my job so much easier. xD

So yeah. No flames about the mushiness, that part appealed mainly to the friendship aspect of this story.

Don't worry I don't plan to rush this relationship; I'll be taking my sweet time. ;)

Review?

LOSGAP =D

7


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

Yay for another update :D

I think this was a pretty good chapter. ^^ Review please, ne? I don't normally do this but I hope to get a minimum of three reviews before I post the next chapter; this is on the story alert list of FORTY-THREE PEOPLE.

It's not too much to ask for a few of you to drop a review now and then, ne? :3

LOSGAP =D

* * *

Naruto rocked his feet back and forth, swinging slightly on the old wooden swing just outside the school, waiting for Yuuki.

The last time he had been here, he had been wallowing in depression, watching the parents tell their children what great jobs they had done while he had thought he would never become a ninja. Now the circumstances were completely different; he was looking at the school almost eagerly, waiting to ask Yuuki about her first day of school.

The bell rang and he leaned forward, watching children run out and leap up into the arms of waiting parents that had come to take them home. It wasn't that hard to pick out Yuuki, standing almost two feet above the crowd as she walked out behind the crowd. She crossed her arms, glancing around at the wave of parents with a sense of longing that Naruto recognized, sending a small pang through him.

"Yuuki!" Naruto called, dispelling the negative thoughts and Yuuki looked up, and then broke into a smile as she hurried over.

"Hey!" He greeted her enthusiastically, jumping off the swing and trotting over.

"How was school?" He asked as she fell into step beside him, walking away from the school. "It was wonderful," Yuuki beamed. "I learned a lot."

Naruto flashed her a grin, truly glad for her. "Come on; let's get some ramen." He said, taking her hand and dragging her off towards Ichiraku's.

OOO

"One more time Yuuki," Iruka said kindly and Yuuki nodded, trying to ignore the snickers of the other students as she took careful aim with the kunai before letting it fly.

Iruka yelped and rolled out of the way as it whizzed past his ear, making the students roar with laughter and Yuuki flush, humiliated.

"It's ok Yuuki," Iruka said kindly, putting his hand on her shoulder, making Yuuki jump. "It's hard in the beginning, I know. With enough practice you'll get it right." He encouraged her.

_That's what Naruto keeps saying, _Yuuki thought, though she smiled and nodded her thanks, appreciating his effort.

"Maybe weapons aren't your thing; let's work on ninjutsu." He decided.

OOO

"No offense Yuuki, but you're kinda hopeless." Naruto said and Yuuki sighed. "I know," She muttered, frowning at the shuriken scattered over the clearing.

Taijutsu and weapons were simply not Yuuki's calling; she had been excused from weapons class after accidentally hitting a student; Iruka had told her if she practiced enough outside of class, she could come back by the end of the week.

"I got kicked out of a lot of classes, except most of the people I hit were entirely on purpose." Naruto had told her, cheering her up considerably.

Naruto flopped down on his back and yelped, landing on a stray shuriken. He plucked it out with a brief scowl before tossing it carelessly over his head.

Yuuki, outlined against the sky above him, stared in shock. Naruto raised his head and noticed his shuriken had landed in the target and blinked.

"I'm sorry, but that was pretty awesome." Naruto grinned. Yuuki blinked, and then smiled, shaking her head. "Even without looking you are much better then me." She said in quiet amusement as she sat down next to him.

Naruto closed his eyes, feeling like dozing off underneath the warm sun as he stretched out and yawned. Beside him, he could hear Yuuki tearing absentmindedly at the grass, obviously waiting for orders.

Despite her obvious hated for her situation, she had obviously never known anything other then her life; she still did everything for him without him needing to ask, and almost subconsciously remained in his shadow when they went places.

Whatever Yuuki said about hating her life, she still seemed to value tradition and carefully followed it every day. He wondered why she would embrace the teachings of a family who had destroyed her life, but didn't ask.

"Why are you two lying around on such a beautiful day?!" Naruto jerked with a shriek at the sudden thundering voice and flipped up onto his feet, staring wildly as Team 10 entered the training field.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Ten-Ten asked, staring around at the shuriken and kunai scattered everywhere. Naruto didn't answer, but Yuuki colored slightly in embarrassment.

"You two are in the prime of the springtime of your youth! You should not be lazing about, wasting the day away!" Guy was booming. Neji bore the same blank, slightly irritated expression Naruto was wearing.

"We were just leaving," Naruto sighed, yawning widely. He and Yuuki could go train somewhere else; Guy wasn't necessarily a bad person, just incredibly annoying and exhausting to be around.

"Nonsense!" Guy thundered. "We're lacking a teammate! You simply must train with us!" He exclaimed. He was right; Bushy Brows was missing, still recovering from his injuries in the fight with Gaara. The team seemed empty without the eccentric teen.

Naruto had a sudden idea. He was rare to have anything brilliant hit him except in the heat of battle, so at first he was so struck by his own insight it took him a minute to absorb his idea.

Ten-Ten was a master of weapons, as he had seen in the chuunin exams; Guy was a master of taijutsu. Both of them were Yuuki's major weaknesses.

A slow grin spread on his face, pleased by his sudden flash of genius.

"I'm tired, so I'll be heading home." He said. "But Yuuki here would _love_ to train with you guys." He grinned, slinging an arm around the startled girl as she blinked at him curiously while he continued to beam.

Neji and Ten-Ten both looked at her as though she were insane while Guy let out a booming laugh of joy and gave her an extra sparkly smile.

"Fantastic!" He grinned. "Another flower, just beginning to blossom, will be added to our already blooming team!" He said happily.

Naruto felt a little guilty for leaving her with someone as borderline insane as Guy, but he knew this was probably for the best. Grinning and waving goodbye, he made a beeline for home before Guy could ask again if he wanted to stay.

OOO

When night fell, Naruto started to get worried. Yuuki had already been tired earlier that day when he had left her with Team 10, and he wondered how hard Guy had been pushing her.

_If she's in the hospital or something I'll kick his ass, _Naruto thought with a scowl as he slipped on his sandals and went out to look for them.

He returned to the training field and decided to spy first, wondering what was going on.

"You're almost there, Yuuki!" Guy exclaimed, striking a pose. Yuuki nodded determinedly as she continued doing push ups. Though her arms trembled slightly underneath her she kept going, her face set in a grim line, her eyes narrowed with focus.

"Just ten more to two hundred!" Guy proclaimed and Naruto's eyes bulged.

_Two hundred?!_

He chose that moment to burst through the bushes, already beginning a furious rant.

"Hey! She's barely the size of my little finger, how the heck do you expect her to do that many push-ups?!" Naruto snarled, storming into the clearing.

"Naruto?" Yuuki squeaked, glancing up at him. She didn't stop though and kept going; now he was closer he could see how bad her arms shook as they fought to push her back up.

"Three more!" Guy crowed, ignoring Naruto for the time being, too excited by Yuuki's proximity to victory.

"Has he been pushing you this hard all day?" Naruto demanded, hands on his hips, scowling down at Yuuki.

"I am in the prime of my youth and can do such things with ease!" Yuuki exclaimed breathlessly. Tears ran down Guy's face. "That's my girl!" He sobbed.

"_Your _girl?!" Naruto shrieked, his voice reaching a pitch he'd never thought possible. What the hell had he done to her?

"Two hundred!" Guy cried as Yuuki collapsed. He picked Yuuki up and swung her about, laughing with glee. "You are as bright and determined as the first flower of spring, pushing up through the snow to expose its beautiful petals to the sun!" He exclaimed.

Naruto saw red.

"Guy-sensei, I should probably be going." Yuuki's voice was oddly calm even as she was being squashed to Guy's chest.

"What a shame!" Guy exclaimed, putting her down. "But I must concur, for it is late and you have worked hard! Even the most youthful of people need their rest!" He exclaimed. "Please, train with us again! Neji and Ten-Ten were both refreshed by your youthful optimism!" He said, giving her a thumbs up. To Naruto's intense horror, Yuuki gave him a thumbs up back. "Thank you, Guy-sensei." She said with a quick bow. Before the love fest could continue, Naruto grabbed Yuuki by her wrist and dragged her unceremoniously away.

"Leaving you with him was a horrible idea," Naruto snarled under his breath as Yuuki scrambled after him. "I should have known you'd get totally brain washed by him," He grumbled.

"I was brain washed?" Yuuki repeated. "I thought I was training."

Naruto sighed and shook his head, at a loss for words at the moment.

"…are you displeased?" Yuuki asked quietly when Naruto didn't speak for a while.

"Not with you," Naruto sighed, the red fading around his vision at the quiet fear behind her voice. "I'd love nothing more then to go back and throttle that guy within an inch of his life for trying to turn you into a second Bushy Brows." He scowled. Yuuki didn't change her worried, slightly confused, expression.

"Is becoming a… 'Bushy Brows' a bad thing?" Yuuki asked after a minute.

Naruto had to really think about it. Lee drove him absolutely crazy, but he was the best taijutsu master he'd ever seen.

"Yes and no," He replied finally. "It'd be fine if you could kick ass without breaking a sweat- like I can of course- but the minute you start spouting crap about youth and flowers and junk I'm going to kill you."

OOO

While they waited for Team Seven to return, Yuuki spent her days at school and her afternoons training with Naruto, who was always on the lookout for Guy. Guy wasn't that bad of a person, he admitted; as long as he wasn't speaking, he was ok.

It was a peaceful time, the kind of days Naruto loved best; spending the entire day training hard with friends until he collapsed into his bed at night, only to start it all over again the next day.

Yuuki gained some muscle mass and soon Naruto didn't have to carry her home every night, which was a relief.

After that night when Yuuki had revealed her scars to him, she opened up to him a bit more; she smiled more often, laughed from time to time, and on occasion voiced her opinion on things. Her newfound backbone took both him and others by surprise, as it showed one day at school.

Naruto waited outside for her with an air of impatience, as he had seen everyone leave the school and go home but Yuuki. Sighing, he stood up and entered the school, finding Iruka's classroom with ease.

"Hey Iruka-sensei," He greeted his old teacher, who was bent over some papers at his desk. He looked up as Naruto entered and gave him a warm smile. "Hey Naruto," He replied.

"Where's Yuuki?" Naruto asked and Iruka hesitated, and then pointed with his pencil towards the back of the room.

Yuuki sat in the very back of the room, her arms crossed on the desk, her head lying on them, her face hidden. Naruto frowned, instantly concerned.

"What happened?" He asked, glancing over at Iruka.

"She lost control during class today," Iruka admitted quietly. "Some students were…" He hesitated, glancing at Naruto awkwardly. Naruto frowned. "Some students were talking about you and her," He finally said reluctantly, his eyes apologetic. Naruto's fists clenched, though he forced his voice to remain calm.

"What did they say?" He asked quietly. "I don't know," Iruka said sincerely. "But whatever they said, Yuuki…" He fumbled for words. "I can't explain it. She just… exploded." Naruto raised an eyebrow, as Iruka was rarely at a loss for words.

"What happened to the kids?" Naruto asked when Iruka didn't instantly supply that information. "They're in the hospital," Iruka admitted after a moment's hesitation. "They're all badly burned. I assured Yuuki she's not in trouble because it looked like she didn't have any control over it, but she hasn't left her desk yet. You'd better talk to her." Iruka said and Naruto nodded, wondering exactly what had happened as he cautiously approached Yuuki's desk.

"Hey Yuuki," Naruto greeted her a bit awkwardly, standing near her desk. She didn't look up.

Sighing, he straddled the desk in front of her and crossed his arms on the back of the chair, trying to see her face, but she was completely obscured by her shaggy, unruly black hair.

"You need a hair cut," Naruto said randomly. Again, Yuuki didn't even look up.

"Iruka told me what happened," Naruto said and Yuuki stiffened slightly, the only indication that she was listening.

"It's not your fault," Naruto told her, patting her hand awkwardly, trying to think of how one comforted people, especially girls. "I've totally lost control before," He admitted, thinking back to when he had believed Sasuke to be dead and frowned, the memory darkening his mood.

"Have you ever hurt people before?" Yuuki asked quietly, her voice muffled by her arms. She had resorted back to that toneless, flat voice she had used up until recently.

"Yes," Naruto admitted.

"Children?" Yuuki demanded softly. Naruto didn't have a response for that one and looked at his shoes.

"I do not know what happened," Yuuki whimpered. "They were saying terrible things about both of us, and I just…" She brought her arms closer to herself and seemed to shrink in her seat.

"I am very, very sorry Master." Yuuki whispered and Naruto sighed at the title but didn't protest. She always called him Master when she was upset. "It will not happen again."

"I know it won't," Naruto replied. "Iruka-sensei will make sure of that." He looked over his shoulder, assuming Iruka had been listening. Iruka hesitated, clearly being caught in the act, and then nodded, going back to his work.

"Come on," Naruto patted her hand again and stood up. "Let's take a day off from training today." He decided. Yuuki slowly raised her head and stared up at him dully. He felt a flash of relief that at least she wasn't crying; he had no clue what to do with crying girls.

"Let's go," He offered her his hand and after a moment's hesitation Yuuki took it. When she stood, he noted the way her knees shook, as though she were very tired. He frowned at her. It seemed like all the exercise and sun she had gotten lately had just disappeared; she looked frail and sickly again.

"I think I know a good place for us to go," Naruto decided.

OOO

Yuuki sank lower into the hot spring, closing her eyes and sighing.

She was no stranger to saunas and luxury; her previous master had had his own personal spa that Yuuki had used occasionally, but this was the first time she had been in one for a while.

She didn't know if she liked sharing it with strangers though; she had shared the spa with the other servants, but it was different when you knew the people; she felt exposed and lowered herself until only her eyes and nose poked out above the water, trying to hide.

As she inhaled the familiar healing powers of the steam, she closed her eyes, trying not to think about the day's events, but they sprang unbidden to her mind.

_Yuuki's fists clenched at her sides as she tried to ignore the three boys leaning on her desk, leering at her. _

_ "So you _are_ Naruto's sex slave, eh?" One of them asked, grinning wickedly. Yuuki shook her head furiously but the boys laughed harder. "Aw, don't deny it." Another one said, and to her horror leaned over and traced his finger down her cheek._

_ "I can't see why Naruto picked you to be his whore," He commented. "You're not even pretty." _

_ "She's scrawny too," The third one added, poking her ribs and making her stiffen. _

_ "Stop," She growled quietly, shutting her eyes and wishing they would all go away. _

_ "Why? Do we have to pay to keep talking to you?" One snickered and Yuuki's vision flickered as she stood up, knocking her desk over. _

_ "GO AWAY!" Yuuki roared. Blue chakra engulfed her body likes flames as she threw her arms out. She didn't even touch the boys but they went flying across the room, smashing into the blackboard with shrieks of pain. _

_ Yuuki stared at them as the chakra quietly faded away, leaving her exhausted and confused, wondering what she had done. _

Yuuki sighed, causing bubbles to spring up in front of her face. Whatever had happened, she hoped it would never happen again. Those boys had all been hurt.

She had helped Iruka clean up the mess of the burned chalkboard and the overturned desks, but it didn't help to ease her guilt; she almost never lost her temper, but in that moment she had done something completely out of character and somewhat frightening.

She lifted a hand out of the water and stared at it. How could something so frail and little use so much power?

7


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

Uber-long chapter for all my lovely reviewers :3 I'm still keeping the three review rule though, so please review this chapter? ^^ Arigato!

Jiraiya finally makes his grand entrance here xD I love that guy. He's probably my favorite adult in Naruto next to Iruka (oh how I adore my dolphin man)

XD

Anyway, please read and enjoy! And belated happy Easter! :D

LOSGAP =D

* * *

Yuuki was just beginning to allow herself to fully relax when Naruto's furious scream pierced the air.

"HEY! QUIT PEEPING! MY FRIEND'S IN THERE!" Around her, some women shrieked and hurried out of the spring, anxious to get away from the spying eyes of whomever Naruto had caught.

Yuuki lowered herself even more and tried to make herself small, her eyes wide as she tried to pick out where Naruto's voice had come from.

"Aw, Naruto why do you gotta spoil my fun?" A deep voice whined. "You scared them all away!"

"You pervert, you shouldn't be spying on them!" Naruto snarled viciously. "My friend is in there, and I don't want you peeking on her!"

Yuuki blushed lightly and fumbled for her towel, wrapping it around herself as she hurried out of the spa to go find Naruto and find out what was going on.

OOO

"Oh? Is it Sakura?" Jiraiya asked, quirking a brow suggestively. Naruto flushed and glared at him. "No!" He snapped. "Her name's Yuuki and she's my… uh, friend." He stammered, flustered and annoyed.

He'd had a feeling the Pervy Sage would be creeping around the spa and had decided to check it out before he let himself relax; it was a good thing too, because sure enough the old pervert had been sneaking peeks at women for his "research".

Jiraiya crossed his arms and huffed in disappointment, still annoyed at Naruto for spoiling his fun.

"Naruto?" Naruto glanced over his shoulder as Yuuki walked up. Her face was tinged red from the heat of the sauna and her unruly black hair clung around her shoulders, still wet. Fortunately she was dressed, but that didn't stop Jiraiya from having more fun at Naruto's expense.

"Oh! This is your friend, right?" He asked, shoving Naruto out of the way. He circled her and ran his gaze over her rapidly reddening frame as though he were deciding whether to buy her or not.

"Hmm. I'd give her a six out of ten, I think. Put some meat on those bones and the score would go higher though," He grinned, smacking Yuuki on the rump, making her yelp, her eyes bulging.

"HEY!" Naruto roared, leaping forward, his vision going red. Jiraiya went flying into the walls of the sauna and smashed onto the ground, his eyes dazed.

"Hmph." Naruto dusted off his hands and glared at him.

"You ok?" He asked, glancing at Yuuki. She nodded, still beet red. "Who is that?" She asked, her voice timid.

"Name's Jiraiya," Jiraiya said before Naruto could introduce him. He trotted over, recovering quickly from Naruto's punch and grinned at Yuuki.

"Just call him Pervy Sage, like I do." Naruto scoffed and Jiraiya glared at him.

"You really need to respect your sensei," Jiraiya snorted, crossing his arms and scowling at the blonde.

Yuuki glanced over at Naruto, her eyes questioning.

"Yeah, he's my sensei." Naruto muttered, not sounding happy about it. "He's also Konoha's biggest pervert."

"Thank you," Jiraiya grinned. "I'm also a novelist, perhaps you've heard of my work?" He asked. Yuuki swallowed hard and to Naruto's shock, nodded.

"Come Come Paradise." She murmured. She blushed under Naruto's stare and lowered her eyes to her feet. "My old master enjoyed his work." She muttered.

Jiraiya didn't seem to hear the term "master" and grinned happily. "Always good to hear I have fans," He chuckled, ruffling Yuuki's hair.

"So why are you here?" Naruto grumbled, finally getting curious.

"I thought it was about time we do some more training," Jiraiya replied. "But if you don't want my help…" He started to wander away.

"Hey! Of course I want your help!" Naruto exclaimed, trotting after him. He hesitated and then glanced back at Yuuki. "Why don't you go train back at the village?" He asked. He didn't like the idea of Yuuki spending too much time with the old pervert.

Yuuki nodded. "Who shall I train with?" She asked and Naruto sighed. He knew he was going to regret this… "Team Guy probably if they're not on a mission." He said and Yuuki nodded. He could have imagined it but there was a bit of excitement sparkling in her eye at the mention of Team Guy.

Naruto scowled and waved grumpily before following the elderly Sannin off to train.

OOO

Yuuki's feet kicked futilely in the air as she gasped, sweat beading off her brow. Her arms shuddered under the strain as she dragged herself up inch by painful inch.

"You can do it!" Guy and Lee exclaimed in unison. Yuuki gritted her teeth and tried harder.

When Yuuki had asked to train with them, Guy had immediately gone and gotten Lee, wanting him to meet "this determined winter rose", as Guy had come to call Yuuki. Lee seemed happy to sit in on the training session and cheer on the sidelines, though Yuuki didn't miss the hint of longing in his eyes while he watched everyone else train.

With a final gasp her chin just barely passed the branch and she collapsed, her shoulders nearly popping out of their sockets when she fell, hanging limply off the branch.

"Way to go!" Guy bellowed, flames erupting in his eyes. "I knew you could do it!"

Yuuki smiled slightly and began pulling herself up again as Guy and Lee cheered her on loudly.

She couldn't understand why Naruto didn't seem to like neither Guy nor Lee; they were always so nice to her. Yuuki had never received praise growing up, but Guy seemed overjoyed to heap it upon her. He truly seemed to believe in her, which never failed to surprise and please her. Lee was no different; even though he barely knew her, he was certain that she could do anything all because she was young. She'd never given much thought to her youth; growing up had been hard, always waiting to become an adult so that she could finally do things with ease, but they seemed to have the opposite idea.

Naruto was always quick to tell her when she had done something right, but he couldn't compare to the seemingly endless range of compliments Guy seemed able to produce on the spot.

Yuuki managed another chin-up, which resulted in more wild cheering as though she had just saved the world instead of dragging her little form up in the air.

This time though Yuuki couldn't manage to pull herself up again and hung there, struggling weakly.

"Let's do something else," Guy decided as she jumped down. He surprised her by picking up her hands and looking at them critically.

"You need to toughen up your fists," He decided. For some reason Yuuki didn't like the sound of that. But she followed along happily anyway, doubting Guy would have her do anything too painful.

OOO

"So let me get this straight," Jiraiya asked, frowning at Naruto. "You have an adorable, bashful young girl willing to do _anything _you ask?" He clarified. Naruto shrugged. "Yeah."

Jiraiya scowled at him. "You have all the luck," He grumbled. Naruto ignored him for the time being, too happy that he was being treated to ramen to really care about his sensei's perverted nature.

"I think I've actually heard of this before," Jiraiya mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Naruto glanced up. "Yeah?" He asked in surprise as Jiraiya continued.

"Yup. You'd be surprised how much you know when you get to be my age," He said. Naruto shuddered at the thought of getting as old as Jiraiya. "But anyway I've heard of a few clans who did something like that, but I thought they'd all died out." He frowned. "Yuuki's probably one of the last of her kind." Naruto felt his shoulders relax slightly in relief; at least no more children would have to go through what Yuuki had.

"I'd like to talk to her," Jiraiya decided as he stood up. "I'll go see if I can't rescue her from Guy." He said as he wandered off. Naruto nodded, wondering what he was going to talk to her about.

It wasn't until he finished his bowl that he remembered that Jiraiya had promised to pay for his meal.

OOO

"Trust me, you'd rather have to deal with a little pain now then breaking your hand every time you hit somebody," Jiraiya said as he finished helping Yuuki bandage her bleeding knuckles.

Yuuki nodded, remembering the first time she'd ever punched someone; she flinched at the memory of the sound of her knuckles breaking.

Jiraiya had come and dragged her away from her training with Team Guy, saying he wanted to try something with her and Naruto. Yuuki had been happy to oblige, glad to be training with Naruto.

She trotted along behind the old man, staring up at him thoughtfully. Naruto had never mentioned him to her before, but she could see almost instantly the relationship between them. Though Naruto had been clearly furious with him, she had sensed he held a deep respect, almost love, for the man. And judging by the way Jiraiya smiled when he waved to Naruto as they came to a clearing, the feeling was mutual.

"Ok Yuuki, what are your strengths and weaknesses?" Jiraiya asked, sitting down on a log. Naruto and Yuuki sat down on the ground in front of him.

"Her weaknesses are taijutsu and weaponry," Naruto supplied quickly. Yuuki blinked in mild amusement as Jiraiya frowned at Naruto. "I think she can tell me herself," He said and Naruto shrugged.

"My strength is…" Yuuki hesitated, not really knowing.

"She's stubborn as a mule." Naruto snorted. "She hung onto this crazy lady with a broken hand, even though she tried to kill her." Naruto said, crossing his arms behind his head.

"I'm not sure if that's either a weakness or strength though." Jiraiya pointed out. "Let's try to find out what her strength is. Do you know any ninjutsu?" He asked and Yuuki shook her head, as she hadn't learned any jutsus yet.

"Hmm." Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully, frowning at her. "I guess we'll just see what happens. Come here Naruto, I want to try something."

Yuuki watched as they stood and walked a short ways away.

"Yuuki, you too." Jiraiya said and Yuuki nodded, standing up to trot to Naruto's side.

"Now, Naruto told me about this incident at school," Jiraiya said, glancing at Yuuki, who bit her lip, not wanting to be reminded of the strange accident. "These kids were making fun of you and Naruto, right?" Jiraiya asked, tilting his head. Yuuki hesitated, and then nodded slowly.

"I have an idea," Jiraiya said. "Let's try something. I'll attack Naruto, and you try to defend him. Ok?" He asked and Yuuki nodded. That sounded simple enough to her. She didn't question the exercise; all ninja training seemed strange to her.

"We'll start out slow." He said, withdrawing several shuriken. "Let's see how your reflexes are without defending him." He decided. Yuuki nodded, pulling out her kunai. It was the first one Naruto had given her; she always kept it with her.

Jiraiya flicked the shuriken with practiced ease at her and she jumped forward too quickly, attempting to block them. She managed to block the first one, but the next one grazed her shoulder, and the other nicked her ear.

"Now let's try it with Naruto." Jiraiya said and Yuuki went to stand directly in front of Naruto, her kunai raised protectively.

"I don't see what this will prove," Naruto remarked, crossing his arms behind his head lazily. Jiraiya just grinned. "You'll see."

This time Jiraiya threw a kunai, and it whistled through the air faster then the shuriken had. Still, she somehow managed to bat it aside with ease.

"Good," Jiraiya nodded, and without warning he flung a handful of shuriken at them. Naruto ducked, obviously not believing Yuuki could handle it all with one kunai but Yuuki leapt and spun, knocking all of the shuriken out of the air.

"Whoa," Naruto said, blinking in surprise at the pile of shuriken around him. Yuuki was panting slightly, but pleased with herself.

"Now that was _cool_." Naruto grinned, standing up. "I wonder if it would work with ninjutsu though…" Jiraiya wondered as he held up his hand. Purple chakra began to spin there and her eyes widened, transfixed by the glowing orb.

"Hey, don't you think that's a little… extreme?" Naruto demanded, sounding worried.

Jiraiya just grinned and charged.

Yuuki panicked, stepping backwards, instinctively knowing that she couldn't let that orb touch her or Naruto.

Naruto let out a frightened yelp and ducked low, shielding himself with his arms. "You crazy old man!" He shrieked. Naruto's fear made something change in Yuuki; the blue chakra returned to her, flying across her body.

She didn't think, only took a firm stance and held up her hands, as though trying to stop Jiraiya by just pushing him back.

Jiraiya's strange purple chakra smashed into Yuuki's glowing blue hands, and she gritted her teeth. She couldn't feel any pain, so she pushed back, and her chakra expanded, forming a translucent, glowing blue shield around her and Naruto.

She took a firm step forward and the chakra blew Jiraiya backwards, making him skid across the grass.

As soon as he was a safe distance away the blue chakra dissipated, leaving Yuuki breathless and wide-eyed.

"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen." Naruto breathed, getting to his feet. Yuuki nodded and the world tilted under her; she slumped backwards, falling against Naruto.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed as he was pulled down by Yuuki's sudden weight, attempting to soften her fall as he laid her down on the grass, her head resting in his lap.

Yuuki squinted up at the sun, her chest heaving as she tried to breathe again. Naruto and Jiraiya's heads both poked into her line of vision, obscuring the sun.

"Wow, are you ok?" Naruto asked anxiously. Yuuki nodded, still panting.

"We should probably let her rest a bit," Jiraiya decided. "Stopping a rasengan is no small effort. I'm surprised I didn't kill her."

"Then why the hell did you do that?!" Naruto shrieked. Jiraiya shrugged. "If you weren't in any real danger she wouldn't have gone to the extent of her abilities." He looked down at Yuuki, his eyes thoughtful.

"I thought that she was probably defending you out of instinct in class," He said. "Yuuki's strength apparently increases when she's defending you." He said and Yuuki's eyes widened in shock. Jiraiya looked down at her curiously. "I wonder what else she could do …" He wondered.

"That's more then enough for today," Naruto growled. "She's not strong enough for your training!"

Jiraiya sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine." He said. "We can take the day off; meet back here after school tomorrow." He said, nodding to Yuuki.

"Yes sir." Yuuki replied with an edge of excitement; tired though she was, the idea of learning more about her strange abilities thrilled her.

OOO

After Jiraiya had gone, Naruto glared down at Yuuki.

"Why didn't you tell me you could do stuff like that?!" He exclaimed. Yuuki blinked up at him. "I did not know," She replied. "How can you not know something like that about yourself?" Naruto demanded and immediately felt like a hypocrite. He clamped his mouth shut and glowered, annoyed with himself.

"Let's just go home," He muttered. "Can you walk?" He asked. Yuuki hesitated, looking embarrassed. Naruto sighed. "One of these days I'm just going to buy you a wheelchair or something and save me the trouble," He muttered, standing up and offering her his hand.

After he had situated Yuuki comfortably on his back he walked off, his mind whirling as he tried to comprehend the fact that Yuuki had just stopped a rasengan.

_If she can do that now, what could she do once she gets strong? _He wondered, staring in bewilderment at Yuuki, her head lolling weakly against his shoulder. He shook his head and smiled. _And people think _I'm _unpredictable. _He thought in amusement as they came into town.

Since Yuuki was obviously in no condition to make dinner, he decided to carry her to Ichiraku's.

"Hey Naruto!" The owner greeted him. He laughed as Naruto plopped Yuuki on a stool. "Trained too hard?" He guessed sympathetically and Yuuki nodded tiredly. "Don't worry; my ramen will set her right!" He laughed as he called an order to the woman behind him.

Naruto let out a squeak of surprise when Yuuki suddenly leaned her head on his shoulder, blushing furiously as he turned to demand what she was doing when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Naruto?" His head whipped around to see Sakura looking at him in surprise.

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto greeted her enthusiastically. Yuuki smiled tiredly in weak response. Sakura looked down at her in surprise. "What's with her?" She asked as she sat down next to Naruto.

"Oh, uh, she tired herself out, that's all." Naruto said, flustered at how close Sakura was, since she was leaning on her elbows close to him, batting her eyes at him.

"Oh, that's too bad." She murmured, tossing her hair as she turned to order; he caught a whiff of strawberry shampoo and melted a little inside.

He finally noticed the ramen in front of him and quickly thanked the owner before digging in, giddy at eating dinner with Sakura.

OOO

"Hey, Yuuki." Yuuki looked over at Naruto, who looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Yes?" She prodded when he didn't speak up for a minute. He hesitated. "Um… Kakashi said we'll be leaving on a mission in a few days," He said awkwardly. Yuuki blinked. "What of it?" She asked when he continued to look uncomfortable.

"I think you should stay home," Naruto finally blurted. Understanding dawned on Yuuki and she nodded; though she understood his reasons perfectly, she still felt uneasy about him leaving for a potentially dangerous mission without her.

"I'll be fine, and while I'm gone you should train all you can so you can come with on the next one," He said. "You're getting a lot stronger," He said, crossing his arms behind his head as they walked.

They had just left another rigorous training session with Jiraiya; Yuuki's limbs felt like jelly, and even Naruto looked exhausted, but the self-satisfaction she felt more then made up for her fatigue.

"Thank you," Yuuki smiled slightly, happy at the compliment. "But Naruto, if you need me, you know all you have to do is call me and I will be there, right?" Yuuki asked, looking at Naruto seriously. Naruto blinked at her owlishly. "I still don't get that," He said. "What do you mean 'you'll be there'? Do you have some kind of summoning scroll or something?" He asked. Yuuki frowned. "No, but that may be a good idea," She said thoughtfully.

"It does not matter how far you are, all you have to do is call my name and I will hear you," She said and Naruto gave her an odd look. "Is it because of that… thing?" He said finally, his eyes glancing towards her back. Cold fingers brushed against Yuuki's spine at the fear in his voice; he still obviously had not accepted the dark magic that governed her.

"Yes," She said as she came to a halt to unlock the apartment for him and let him go in first.

"Did you not wonder why I have so many scars?" Yuuki asked as they came inside, dropping her keys on the table.

"Yeah; I'm guessing you get one each time you disobey, right?" He said and Yuuki blinked, impressed with his insightfulness. "Yes," She agreed. "I wouldn't have pegged you for the rebel type," Naruto said as he flopped down on the couch and shrugged off his jacket, tossing it aside. Yuuki dutifully picked up said sweaty garment and hung it up, deciding she would have to do laundry soon.

"I rebelled only once," Yuuki murmured after a few moments silence. "I ran away when I was seven," She admitted quietly and Naruto looked at her in surprise. "You did?" He said. "Why did you come back?"

Yuuki closed her eyes and tried to block out the dark memories as she came to sit beside Naruto. It was their nightly routine to sit on the couch and relax for a short while before having dinner; usually the conversation was light and easy, but Yuuki knew if he was leaving for a mission he had to know her story.

"I made it a few miles before he realized I was gone," Yuuki said, staring off into space. "At first I thought he was there with me," She admitted. "I heard his voice as clearly in my head as though he were standing beside me." Goosebumps rose on her flesh as she remembered the commanding shout resounding deep within her skull, ordering her to come back.

"I thought if I was far enough away I would not have to listen," She admitted. She folded her hands in her lap. "I was wrong. He ordered me to come back, and though I tried to leave, I was immobilized and before long I was forced to return." She rubbed her prickling arms absentmindedly. "I received a new scar every time he called and I did not arrive immediately until I finally came back," She murmured.

Naruto was silent, his eyes wide with shock. "Wow," He said weakly. "So all you have to do is call me and I will hear you and find you," Yuuki said. She tilted her head. "A summoning scroll _is _a good idea though," She admitted. "I could be with you in moments." The idea excited her.

"I don't think I could really pull off a summoning scroll yet," Naruto admitted. "I'd probably hurt you." He said and Yuuki nodded, not showing her disappointment. At least they were still linked though; he would always be able to reach her. And she would know when he was in pain; she could keep an eye on him from afar.

"Come," Yuuki said, patting his knee in an attempt to lighten the heavy air; she hated it when Naruto was sad. "Let us 'pig out' on ramen, yes?"

9


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for the long wait! D: My writing muse has been giving me the silent treatment lately, curse him. -_-'

But anyway, thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I can't tell you how giddy it makes me to get reviews; it just totally makes my entire week lol.

Indebted in my third most popular story! O.O I can't believe I've gotten so much attention with this. O.o Thank you all so much!

I love all of my readers, and the reviewers doubly so. Please read, enjoy and hopefully review! :D

LOSGAP =D

* * *

Jiraiya made a wounded noise and fell dramatically, landing on with the ground with a loud crash.

"You threw a rock at him?" Naruto sounded impressed.

"I did not wish to waste a perfectly good kunai," Yuuki sniffed and Naruto grinned.

"Aw come on," Jiraiya whined. "You're his _slave! _How can I not comment on that?!" He exclaimed, getting back to his feet. "I could make a novel about this kind of thing," He mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Yes… though of course you two would have to be older and more attractive." Jiraiya pointed out. Naruto twitched while Yuuki covered a smile as the Sannin rambled on about the new book idea.

"Are we done for today?" Naruto snapped and Jiraiya glanced at him, pulled out of his musings. "Yeah, yeah, I gotta go get started," He said with a grin as he wandered off, still mumbling.

"…I _really _hope he's not serious about the book idea, because then I'd have to kill him." Naruto growled.

"If no one knows it is us, does it really matter?" Yuuki asked they walked back home; Yuuki was pleased at how she wasn't nearly as tired she usually was after training; she was getting stronger, and it thrilled her to no end.

"We'll know it's us, and he'll know it's us, and quite frankly that drives me nuts!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling at his hair. "I mean… gah! He wouldn't shut up with those stupid perverted comments!" He glared at the ground. "I should never have told him about it," He scowled. "He'll _never _let us live it down." He grumbled.

"He will get over it," Yuuki replied patiently, then glanced up and quickly took Naruto's hand. The action surprised him so much he stumbled and was almost dragged along by Yuuki; all in all, the action came across more like attempted kidnapping then romantic.

Naruto started to demand what was going on when Sakura came up; as usual, Yuuki had noticed her first.

"Hi Naruto," Sakura said shyly as she came up, folding her hands behind her back. "And Yuuki," Sakura added as an afterthought. Yuuki did not return the greeting and merely leaned her head against Naruto's shoulder, glaring at Sakura as she wrapped her arms around Naruto possessively.

_Mine. _She mouthed and Sakura scowled briefly.

"Hey Naruto, I was wondering if maybe we could grab something to eat?" Sakura asked, batting her eyes. Yuuki felt Naruto start to stammer out an excited yes but Yuuki squeezed her arms around his middle, making him squeak.

"We have plans," Yuuki said curtly. Sakura frowned at her; Naruto started to protest but Yuuki tightened her hold and he fell silent again.

"Maybe some other time?" Sakura asked and Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Some other time." He said, sounding regretful. Sakura gave Yuuki a triumphant look and when Naruto wasn't looking she stuck her tongue out at Yuuki as she walked away.

Naruto waited until Sakura was out of hearing distance before he turned to glower at Yuuki.

"I totally don't get any of this," Naruto said flatly. "She finally asked me out, and you made me say _no?!" _

"Denial will make her want you more," Yuuki assured him, keeping their fingers linked as they resumed walking back to their apartment. "Sasuke says no to her all the time, yes? And does she ever stop trying?" Yuuki pointed out and Naruto looked thoughtful, then a slow grin spread on his face.

"I like your logic," He grinned.

OOO

"Hey Yuuki, when are you…" Naruto, who had just walked into the bathroom, gawked at Yuuki.

"Yes?" Yuuki dead-panned, not seeing why he was so shocked. He pointed a trembling finger at her. "Did someone hurt you?" He demanded. "I swear, just point him out to me, and I'll kill him! I'll…" Yuuki raised a hand and cut him off, unable to hide a smile. "I cut my hair, Naruto." She replied calmly.

Naruto stared at her in horror. "With a rusty kunai?" He asked finally. Yuuki held up her kunai and shook her head. "It is still very sharp," She said proudly.

She blinked in surprise when Naruto dropped to the ground and started laughing, clutching at his stomach as he howled.

"You said that I needed a hair cut," Yuuki said, frowning at him. "So, I got my hair cut."

"You look terrible," Naruto said bluntly. "Sorry, I forgot to get your hair cut. Jeez, it's like having a new puppy or something, you got to do _everything _for 'em," Naruto muttered to himself, rubbing his neck absentmindedly as he wandered to the door.

"Naruto," Yuuki called after him as he started to open the door. Naruto glanced over his shoulder and just barely managed to catch the orange garment Yuuki tossed to him.

"You forgot your pants again," Yuuki said flatly.

OOO

"Much better," Naruto said, crossing his arms behind his head as he and Yuuki left the salon. Yuuki's hair, previously hacked into many ragged uneven layers, now was almost shoulder length, with bangs framing her face. She looked better then she had that morning, certainly; Naruto could almost go so far as to say she was kinda pretty.

She had worn her hair back in a ponytail that day at school; Naruto had pretty much forced her to do so so that the students didn't tease her. Now it hung loose around her neck, hanging a few inches above her shoulders.

"Jiraiya's gonna be mad we're late," Naruto said, glancing at Yuuki, who looked worried. "At me," Naruto added quickly. "Not you. I'm the one who dragged you out right after school," He said and Yuuki gave him a wan smile.

"I have a bad feeling about today's training session anyway," Naruto grimaced as they kept walking. "I mean, he wants us to meet at the river, and nothing good can come of that_." _

Yuuki nodded in agreement; the rest of the walk was spent in comfortable silence as they walked under the cool shade of the trees on their way to the river.

When they arrived Jiraiya was waiting for them, sitting cross-legged on a boulder. Behind him, the river flowed sluggishly by, the water almost completely flat and clear.

"About time you got here," Jiraiya sniffed, and then grinned at Yuuki. "New hair cut? I like it." He said. Yuuki flushed and smiled slightly, ducking her head shyly.

"What are we doing here?" Naruto asked, peering around Jiraiya at the slow moving waters.

"We are here to teach Yuuki how to walk on water," He said. Naruto tilted his head. "Why are we doing this here? I learned how at the hot springs," He thought that the steaming water was a pretty good motivational tool to learn faster.

"No reason," Jiraiya said mysteriously and Naruto sighed, deciding he was better off not knowing. He leaped off the rock. "Naruto, you know what to do." He said as he walked off.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, chasing after him. "Why am I supposed to teach her?! _You're _the sensei!" Naruto shouted, stopping behind him to put his hands on his hips.

"I have important research to do," Jiraiya sniffed. "Relax, I'll be just upriver." He said. Naruto could have imagined it, but he thought he heard something that sounded suspiciously like a girl laughing. Judging by the way Jiraiya's eyes lit up, his suspicions were correct.

"Well, I'll see you two in a bit." Jiraiya grinned and disappeared. Naruto stared after him, his eye twitching. Jiraiya _always _left Naruto to teach himself the technique; this was a new low though. How the hell was he supposed to become a sensei himself to someone else?

He rolled his eyes and turned to Yuuki.

"It is all right, Naruto." Yuuki said before he could rant. "If he needs to do research, that is ok with me." She smiled at him and Naruto stared at her in disbelief. She didn't get it at all, he thought, somewhat amused.

"So do you want to learn how to walk on water then?" Naruto asked, nodding towards the almost still river. It seemed as good a place as any to learn.

"Really?" Yuuki's eyes grew wide. "I thought you did not want to teach me," She said. "I don't think I'll be too good of a teacher," Naruto admitted. "But I would rather it be me teaching you then someone like Pervy-Sage." He said. Judging by how excited Jiraiya got when girls were bathing/wet, he decided he didn't want him- or any other man for that matter- and Yuuki anywhere near water together.

Yuuki nodded. "What do I do first?" She asked eagerly. "Um…" Naruto scratched his head. "Have you studied chakra control yet?" He tried and Yuuki nodded. "Can you pool it in the soles of your feet?" Naruto asked and Yuuki frowned, her brow puckering. "I will try," She murmured, closing her eyes and raising her hand in the usual hand sign as she concentrated.

Naruto watched, sensing an increase in her chakra in the air; Yuuki's eyes opened a few moments later and she nodded.

"I think I can do it." She said. "Good, now try and walk out there," Naruto said, pointing towards the river as he sat down on the boulder Jiraiya had previously been sitting on. "It's hard because the water keeps moving out from under you so you have to keep adjusting your chakra," He explained as Yuuki moved towards the river.

Yuuki didn't hesitate and took a step out on the water. Naruto couldn't say he was entirely surprised when she promptly fell in.

"It is cold!" Yuuki exclaimed with a gasp, pulling out her now soaked leg.

"Try again," Naruto yawned, leaning back on the boulder to watch the clouds. If Jiraiya wanted to take a day off, fine. He'd never be able to concentrate on teaching him and Yuuki if there were girls anywhere nearby; at least Yuuki was learning something. He was drowsy anyway, and didn't really mind taking it easy for one day. He closed his eyes, listening to the occasional splashing as Yuuki attempted to walk on the water. He smiled to himself, remembering his first attempts.

_It was a lot harder then walking up trees… wait, shouldn't she have learned that first? _Naruto wondered suddenly. He sat up, about to tell Yuuki that Jiraiya was an idiot and that they needed to work on trees first, when he saw her.

"You're doing it!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. Yuuki was standing precariously in the center of the river, her arms stretched out for balance, frowning in concentration.

"That's really good," Naruto grinned, impressed. Yuuki glanced up at him to offer a smile; her concentration broken for a moment, she fell in. There was a loud splash as Yuuki's head disappeared under the water and Naruto laughed, shaking his head as he leaned back on his hands.

"Don't worry, it takes a lot of practice," He said, tilting his head back to look up at the sky. When Yuuki didn't respond immediately he frowned, looking over to see Yuuki still hadn't surfaced.

Naruto swore and threw off his jacket, diving in after her. He found her quickly near the river's bottom and grabbed her arm, dragging her up.

He was ranting as soon as his head broke the surface.

"Damn it Yuuki! Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?!" Naruto exclaimed breathlessly, swimming them both to shore. Yuuki, clinging to his back like a drowning cat, coughed.

"You did not ask," She muttered. Naruto rolled his eyes as he dropped her on the grass, flopping down beside her as he tried to catch his breath.

"Let's practice in the shallow end from now on, ok?" He asked weakly and she nodded, panting heavily and shivering.

"Jeez, that water was_ cold_." He grumbled. He reached over and grabbed his abandoned jacket and tossed it over Yuuki. "If you get sick, I'll kill Pervy-Sage." He muttered, closing his eyes and feeling content to lounge in the sun until he was warm and dry. Yuuki murmured a thanks beside him, her shivering lessening a bit.

They lay in silence a few moments before a shadow passed over his face, blocking out the sun. He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise up at Yuuki, who had rolled over and was propped up on her elbows, frowning down at him.

"I never noticed this before," She said, lifting up his necklace and twirling it between her fingers. "It is very pretty."

Naruto flushed, not sure how to react at her calling something about him "pretty".

"It was a gift from Granny Tsunade," He muttered, absentmindedly lifting his hand to push her dripping wet bangs out of her face. He twirled the thick black hair around his finger, frowning at her.

"You need to learn how to swim," Naruto said, frowning at her soaked, bedraggled form. The only dry thing about her was his jacket, and even it was getting damp. A ninja who couldn't swim was never good. He remembered all the times he'd ended up taking an impromptu dip and frowned briefly.

Yuuki, who was still examining his necklace, looked up.

"That is a good idea," She nodded. She hesitated, and then reached a hand into her shirt and pulled out something Naruto hadn't seen before.

"I wear a necklace too," Yuuki murmured, holding it out for Naruto to see. It was a small silver cross with a single dark purple gem in the center that sparkled in the sunlight. He'd never noticed it before; Yuuki always kept it under her shirt.

"It was a gift from my mother," Yuuki said and Naruto tilted his head. "I thought you were sold when you were two," He said, confused. He couldn't imagine someone remembering something that was so long ago. Yuuki smiled slightly. "I have thought about her every time I see this necklace," Yuuki said. "It makes it easy to remember her."

Naruto stared up at her, confused. He'd thought Yuuki hated her family.

"I know what you are thinking," Yuuki murmured, seeing his confusion. "But she… she did not want this for me." Yuuki smiled sadly. "I have no memory of her except for that goodbye. She gave this to me and kissed my forehead, and told me to always be a good girl." Yuuki tilted her head, her eyes distant. "She said she was sorry," Yuuki said softly, staring off into space.

Not liking Yuuki's sudden melancholy, Naruto released her hair and started to sit up.

"Come on," He said with a crooked smile. "Let's get started."

OOO

That night the three of them sat around a fire, getting dry and discussing training for the next day.

"So Yuuki learned to swim_ and _walk on water, all in the same day?" Jiraiya asked. "She's still a bit unsteady on the water, but yeah, pretty much." Naruto shrugged.

Jiraiya grinned. "I like this girl." He said and Yuuki blushed.

Naruto leaned back on his hands and yawned widely, staring into the flames. Jiraiya was currently writing furiously in a scroll, glancing at them from time to time to grin and giggle; Naruto was getting more disturbed by the minute. Despite his prodding, the Pervy Sage had refused to tell him what he was doing; Naruto decided to just ignore it and focus on Yuuki. He turned his head to glance at her.

She was sitting with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, her brown eyes dancing with firelight. His jacket was around her shoulders again; he was pretty hardy, he could take being half-frozen, but he knew Yuuki wouldn't manage very long before coming down with something.

He yawned and stretched, working out the kinks in his shoulders. Teaching Yuuki to swim hadn't been easy; she'd panicked whenever her feet left the river bottom and usually clung to the nearest object, which was always him. And Yuuki didn't exactly have a weak grip, either, he thought with a grimace as he rubbed his bruised shoulders.

His shirt was starting to really bother him; the wet fabric was clinging to him uncomfortably and not helping how cold he was. He sighed, knowing Yuuki would have to see it someday, and pulled the shirt off, tossing it aside to dry beside the fire.

He was by no means a modest person; he wandered around his house in just his boxers and a tank top the majority of the time, and didn't care what Yuuki thought of that. The only thing that stopped him from taking his shirt off too was the seal on his stomach; he knew Yuuki would wonder, and she had every right to want to know what it was.

_Why am I so worried about what she'll think? _Naruto chided himself, forcing himself not to glance over to see her reaction._ I don't care what anyone else thinks!_

Unable to stop himself, he stole a quick peek at Yuuki. She hadn't moved from her previous position of crouching beside the fire, but he noticed her eyes had drooped somewhat and she was blinking more often; apparently she hadn't even noticed him removing his shirt.

Even as he watched, she progressed further into sleep; her head lolled against her knees and she closed her eyes for a few seconds for she snapped them open and jerked her head up. He shook his head in quiet amusement, deciding they should head home before Yuuki passed out.

"See you tomorrow, Pervy-Sage." Naruto said, pulling on his pants as he glanced over at Yuuki, checking to ensure she was getting up as well. He picked up his shirt and slung it over his shoulder as Jiraiya grunted a response, not looking up from his scroll.

He waited until Yuuki had come up beside him before he took off walking along the moonlit path, shivering as he left the warmth of the fire. He shrugged the still damp shirt on, deciding it was better then nothing.

Yuuki surprised him when she was the first to start a conversation, a rare feat for her.

"You leave for your mission the day after tomorrow, yes?" Yuuki asked, glancing at him. Naruto nodded, crossing his arms behind his head as he walked. "Yeah. It's just another escort mission." He left out the part that Kakashi wasn't joining them; he doubted Yuuki would be reassured by that fact.

"Ah." Yuuki nodded to herself. After a few moments of silence she spoke up again, which made Naruto smile a bit to himself, glad she was finally getting used to asking questions and talking to people.

His momentary happiness however slipped away when he heard her question.

"…what was that, on your stomach?" Yuuki asked, looking at him directly. Her wide brown eyes were curious.

Naruto sighed as he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at the forest floor disappearing beneath his sandals. Yuuki wouldn't be satisfied with anything but the blunt, complete truth. So, he decided to give it to her.

"It's a seal," He explained. "…I'm the host to the nine-tailed fox, this huge demon." He stared straight ahead. "Basically I've got this huge, insanely powerful demon that tried to destroy the Leaf Village that's living inside of me. I've had it my entire life." He admitted. He was careful to keep his voice perfectly neutral, his face blank. If he slipped up, Yuuki might see how much it pained him to tell her why everyone hated him.

Yuuki came to a halt in the middle of the trail and he stopped as well, forcing himself to look at her with a small poignant smile, so she would not be able to see how her horrified reaction would kill him.

Yuuki was staring at him, her eyes wide, and her jaw slightly agape. He could have imagined it in the moonlight, but she seemed paler.

"A demon?" Yuuki whispered, raising a hand to her trembling lips. Naruto shrugged and crossed his arms, shivering slightly in the crisp air. He didn't know what he expected her to do next; run screaming in the opposite direction? Laugh? Cry? But Yuuki did something that completely stunned him.

He stiffened in shock when the cold air suddenly melted away, warded off by Yuuki's arms wrapped around him. She rested her chin on his shoulder, holding him close.

"I am so sorry, Naruto." She whispered. "It must be a terrible burden." How the hell Yuuki always knew what to say that cut the deepest would always be a mystery to him. He found himself hugging her back, turning his head into her hair .She smelled like cucumbers, of all things; the sharp cool scent was completely unlike Sakura's sweet strawberry shampoo. Still, he found that he liked the crisp fresh scent and closed his eyes, choosing to focus on that and not on the tears pricking painfully at the back of his eyes.

He'd expected her to be disgusted, repulsed by the dark secret he carried; but she had been understanding. Sympathetic.

_Of course, _Naruto thought, running his fingers absentmindedly through her silky black hair. _She knows exactly what it's like to have something forced upon you. She knows I didn't choose this._

He found himself smiling, even as a stray tear slipped down his cheek.

8


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! Real life's been a pain, and this chapter was just NOT happening -_- So sorry if it comes out a little rushed/forced because I had to re-do it a few times because I lost my hard drive. D:

Please leave a review when you're done reading! Flames will be ignored.

LOSGAP =D

OOO

"…and the ramen's in _this _cabinet."

"Yes, Naruto."

"You know how to make it, and I've already talked to the Ichiraku guys so they're expecting you if you don't want to cook."

"Yes, Naruto."

"And Iruka will help if you get yourself into trouble."

"Yes, Naruto."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and frowned down at Yuuki, blinking up at him with mild amusement and slightly sad eyes. He hated leaving her here, but he knew she'd only get in the way on the mission.

"Try to get some training done while I'm gone," He said as he marched towards the door; Yuuki walked beside him, stubbornly carrying his bag, like always.

"Yes, Naruto."

"And quit saying that!"

Yuuki nodded, much to his relief. She'd said little else all morning as he'd tried pointlessly to make conversation. She was upset he was leaving her behind, but they both knew this was the only way.

They walked in silence, Yuuki a step behind him as always, his bag slung over her small shoulders. He crossed his arms behind his head and looked over at her. He was going to be worrying nonstop over her- he could think of hundreds of ridiculously dangerous situations she could get herself into since he wasn't watching her back.

He wondered what she would do without him.

He spotted the gate, where Sasuke and Sakura where already waiting for him.

"About time." Sasuke sighed, and Naruto scowled at him. He paused and looked awkwardly between Yuuki and Sakura, wondering how he was supposed to say goodbye without causing a catfight or something.

Yuuki stretched up to place his bag around his shoulders and looked up at him, her eyes wide and dark in the pale pre-dusk light. "Take care, Naruto." She said, her voice so low only he could hear. "Please."

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," He snorted, though he couldn't help but smile at her worry. He ruffled her hair and thought, yet again, that he really would miss her for the next few days.

_She'll come with on the next mission, _He decided. _If she's strong enough that is. _He hoped she would be; he hated saying goodbye to her.

Sakura let out a muffled squeak when Yuuki stretched up towards him, kissing him gently. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he forced himself to keep his head, though it was difficult. When Yuuki pulled back he managed to say "bye", though his voice sounded silly even to his own ears.

"Goodbye Naruto." Yuuki said and stepped back, bowing quickly to Sasuke and Sakura. "Goodbye Sasuke, Sakura." She murmured. Sasuke nodded and Sakura just blinked, looking surprised.

Naruto babbled something incoherent and staggered away, aware that Sakura was giggling as he rubbed his burning neck and tried to think of anything other then Yuuki's mouth soft on his or her cucumber shampoo.

OOO

So far, her first day without Naruto hadn't been going too well.

She woke up that morning feeling oddly afraid, tasting Naruto's stale fear at the back of her throat.

_Wherever he is, something is wrong. _She thought. She'd awoken from a nightmare of flames and smoke, and still scented the acrid tang of fire occasionally. She shivered despite the heat of the air, wondering if he was all right.

_If he were dead, I would know. _She told herself repeatedly. It didn't help with her fear.

She wondered if he had felt anything from her yet- if so, he was probably worried about her as well, and hoped not. Other then her fear, today had been a day of crushing disappointment and failure.

That morning she'd had her first exam and had failed miserably; Iruka had assured her that it didn't mean she'd never be a ninja, plenty of people didn't do well on their first exams, but she couldn't get the exam out of her mind.

_What if that had been a real life test? _She wondered again. _If I had failed, lives could have been lost. Maybe I am not meant to be a ninja. _

The thought of not being a ninja made her heart race with despair and panic. She had grown to love the idea of being a ninja- not just the idea of being able to protect Naruto, but the idea of protecting the village full of people who had all been so nice to her, treated her like she was human. What if she flunked out of ninja school?

_He would be so disappointed. _She thought. _And so would I._

It was currently after school, and she had gone to train, as she had promised Naruto. She was alone on the training grounds, toughening her fists as Guy had shown her. She loved training, but today she felt too alone with her thoughts and tried hard not to dwell on her failure or the nightmare.

She found herself wishing she had friends to distract her.

_I wonder what kind of student Naruto was, _She thought suddenly, trying to distract herself from that depressing thought. He was a strong ninja and an amazing fighter- surely he had been a much better student then her.

_I will ask Iruka-sensei. _She decided. _He was Naruto's teacher as well._

She forced herself to quiet her mind and focus on training; at this rate she was going to break her hands so she switched to squatting, crossing her arms behind her head as she bent her legs to move up and down.

She closed her eyes, trying to focus only on the sounds of nature.

Time passed by slowly, marked only by the quiet murmur of her counting aloud the squats and her sharp intakes of breath. She listened to the wind rustling the leaves around her, playing with her hair like Naruto sometimes did. She felt pathetic with how badly she missed him, since he had only been gone one day.

She sat down on the ground, taking a short break. She panted quietly as she tried to stretch the kinks out of her legs, trying to meditate like Iruka had taught the class.

She closed her eyes and tried to extend her mind, to just "be". She tried to sense for chakra around her but felt none; either she was well and truly alone or had poor detection skills. Somehow she felt it was the latter.

Her restless mind quieted eventually as she listened and felt, trying to make herself just a part of nature.

Panic suddenly flashed through her and her eyes flew open in surprise. She sat there in silence, her chest heaving though she was no longer out of breath.

_What was that? _She wondered. That panic had not been her own, but the distant echo of someone else's. Suddenly terrified for Naruto, she closed her eyes and tried to reach for that panic again.

Her chest constricted painfully and she gasped, clutching at her shirt. Desperate gasps and a loudly beating heart rang in her mind and she caught a glimpse of filmy, terrified eyes flashing through her brain. The eyes widened at her and she heard him gasp out something before his eyes faded, staring blankly ahead before vanishing from her mind.

The heartbeats fluttered, then stopped.

Her body seemed to register what had happened even before her brain had finally stopped whirling with panic and shock; she felt herself slowly collapse into herself, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest as tears started to spill down her face.

"Master," She heard herself gasp out. Her master before Naruto, the one who had bought her almost twelve years ago and had abandoned her several months before, had just died.

OOO

She didn't think. Only ran.

She ran through the streets of Konoha, shoving aside anyone who got in her way, unable to see through the curtain of tears and hair. Rain started to pour down around her but she ignored it, splashing through the muddy village.

All she could think was that she had not been with him. What kind of servant was she, that her master could die alone and afraid like that?

_He is not your master, _A voice reminded her. _Naruto is._

_ He was my first master! He _raised _me! _She protested silently as she burst into the apartment. A choked sob escaped her and she crumbled against the wall, leaning against her arms as she cried quietly.

If Naruto had been there, he would have demanded to know what was wrong, and he would have told her it would be ok. He would have held her, stroked her hair and let her cry into his shirt.

But Naruto was not there, so she had to comfort herself.

Shaking, she went into Naruto's bedroom and sat down on his bed. She picked up one of his pillows and pressed her face into it, holding it tightly against her chest. His scent calmed her somewhat and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to stop crying. Ninjas didn't cry.

Her master's last words came back to her, clear as day and shattering her fight against the tears.

"I am sorry."

"Oh, Master." She sobbed into the pillow. "_I _am sorry."

OOO

She fell asleep like that, and awoke with her face feeling itchy and blotchy with tears. She raised her head from the tear-stained pillow and looked dully at the clock. She was two hours late for school. Somehow, it didn't matter to her.

She stood up slowly and stumbled to the kitchen, staring at the empty table.

"_I am sorry."_

"You made the right choice," Yuuki whispered. "I understand."

She closed her eyes and felt herself sway. She wished she could think straight, but all she could see were his dying eyes, hear him gasp out an apology just before he faded away.

It was too late for her to tell him she forgave him.

She straightened, clenching her fists and opening her eyes. No, she would not just stand here and cry about it. She would go to him; that was what a _real _servant would do.

She was almost to the door before she remembered Naruto. She hesitated, looking behind her. She also needed supplies for the long journey ahead of her.

She went back to the living room and picked up her bag, already packed. She had packed it in case Naruto had needed her; she knew the odds weren't likely, but if he were in desperate need she would know, and would have moved heaven and earth to save him.

_He would not want you to go, _That voice warned her as she slung the bag over her shoulders.

_He is not here to tell me that, _She retorted. Hot, bitter tears suddenly stung her eyes. _Besides, I am useless to him anyway. He will not miss me. _

She found paper and a pencil and scrawled down a note, her writing messy and barely legible. She placed a container of ramen on top of it so that Naruto was sure to find it and went to the door. She paused at the entryway and turned around to stare at the empty, suddenly lonely looking apartment.

It wasn't too late. She could throw the note away, put down her bag and go to school. Forget about her master and remain loyal to Naruto.

She thought about it, but knew she would never be able to live with herself if she didn't say goodbye.

Naruto was still alive; she could always return to him and beg for forgiveness. It was too late for her old master; she owed him at least a final farewell.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around and left, shutting the door quietly behind her.

OOO

She pushed off the branch underneath her, gasping with fear as she leaped towards the next one.

Naruto had always made traveling like this look so easy and effortless; Yuuki had never tried it before, but she knew the technique, as it was a basic in school. She landed clumsily and took off again, terrified that she would miss the next one.

_It will be a miracle if I do not kill myself on the way there. _She thought grimly.

She fought off all thoughts about what Naruto would do when he got home and found the note, though they haunted her as she went, her conscience nibbling at her doubts.

_Naruto was much kinder then your old master- he _named _you, and you are running away from him?_

_ I am not running away! _She thought miserably. She landed awkwardly and felt a twinge of pain in her leg. She winced, but was glad for the distraction and paused to rub the kink out of her thigh. She straightened it and tested the leg, deciding it wasn't badly hurt, and pressed on.

Though leaping from branch to branch was scary, it was admittedly much faster then walking. It had taken her weeks to walk to Konoha; but then again she had been very weak, and had to rest often. She guessed it would take her at least a week to get there if she took only light rests and didn't linger anywhere.

_Naruto promised he would back in less then a week, _She thought. _What if he returns before I get there and orders me to come home?_

She frowned, but then remembered that Naruto had promised he'd never order her to do anything, not after he saw that happened when she disobeyed.

_He may change his mind when he sees that you have abandoned him. _That voice remarked and she gritted her teeth.

She pressed on determinedly, wondering if any of the other servants were still there, or had left after the Master had died.

_No one else was as close to him as I was, _She reflected. _They probably left, which means I will have to be in charge of his burial. _The thought was depressing; she had grown up with the man, and now would have to lay him to rest.

_I hope at least a few people stayed behind to help; I do not think I could do it alone. _She thought.

OOO

The journey went far easier then it had last time; she wasn't weak and exhausted, and she had supplies with her. She rested little, and by the end of the week she was beginning to recognize landmarks around her.

_Naruto will be reading the note soon. _She thought with a grimace. All thoughts of Naruto however left her mind when she passed over a clearing. She stopped instantly and crashed into the branch, sending shock waves of pain ripping up her shins. Ignoring the pain, she turned and leaped down into the clearing, staring around her.

The last time she had been here, it had been raining, and she'd barely been able to see straight. She looked around her, feeling cold shadows wrap around her, sending chills up her spine.

She could not dwell, she reminded herself, even as she brushed her fingers against some leaves.

She stared around her, recognizing it as the first place she'd stopped after she had been cast out of her master's home in shame.

_Gasping with pain and exhaustion, she slumped against a tree, unable to stop herself as she fell to the ground. She lay silently there, past the point of tears and could only stare dully up at the sky, watching as the rain fell around her, as though crying for her when she had no more tears. _

She closed her eyes. That had been the worst night of her life. She hated being here in this meadow, with phantoms dancing in the corner of her eye, reminding her of her failure.

_Yuuki! _Yuuki's eyes flew open and she looked around wildly, searching for Naruto. For a moment her vision flickered and she was standing in his apartment, and her breath caught in her chest. Naruto was holding the note, his face unreadable.

_You're leaving me?_ His voice was soft. Hurt. Yuuki reached towards him but the scene changed and she was back in the meadow.

"I am so sorry, Naruto." She murmured to herself, and was startled when he replied, sounding just as surprised he had heard her.

_Why are you leaving though? Did I do something wrong? _Naruto demanded.

"No!" She said quickly. "…This is how it has to be. I have to be here." The pain she had heard in Naruto's voice chilled, until his voice was flat and unrecognizable.

_I thought we were friends. If you'd rather be with _him_ though, don't let me stop you. _

She felt suddenly cold and empty, and when she called out his name he did not respond.

She bowed her head, ashamed. She closed her fist over her chest, her hand trembling.

_I am sorry. _She repeated silently. If Naruto heard her, he gave no indication. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked hard, shaking her head before she turned in the direction she knew her childhood home lay. She took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders before plunging into the forest ahead.


End file.
